


Swallowtail and Sunshine Yellow

by requestjpeg



Category: One Piece
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Gen, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/requestjpeg/pseuds/requestjpeg
Summary: Agent Swallowtail sells information as a way to earn money – and earn back her past after the leader of a black-market intelligence agency stole her memories. Trafalgar Law is a pirate on the pathway to revenge – but when that pathway leads him to a certain information broker, he ends up trading a helping hand for a helping of trouble!
Relationships: Trafalgar D. Water Law/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. Sloppytail

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is a revisiting of a story I had started posting elsewhere, several years ago, and nearly abandoned. With support from some lovely friends, it is making a (revised) comeback, hence, a lot of chapters at once. Hopefully, I will stick with my characters this time!

A snail phone buzzed in the shadows. A pale hand swept down to answer it in a single smooth motion. "House of the Monarch," a monotonous voice said into the receiver. "What is your request?"

The voice on the other end rasped, "Sabaody Archipelago – the human auction in three days' time – who will be attending?"

"Requests are never fulfilled on the line," replied the servant. "You will meet a dispensing agent."

"Begonia, I'll take this one," a passerby called to the servant on the phone. "I don't have any assignments right now."

Begonia, phone in hand, paused for a moment before returning to her call. "Where will you host the agent?"

"Sabaody Archipelago, in three days. I can't meet any later than the auction time," the caller replied.

"Agent Swallowtail will meet you outside the theme park," said Begonia, and with the same sweeping movement with which she had answered the call, hung up.

The agent who had accepted the task was tapping her dark brown boots on the stone floor, frowning. "Begonia, did you get my client's name?"

There was no change in Begonia's expression. Her pale grey eyes were emotionless as usual, her face a blank canvas framed by short, wavy blue hair. Her features were obscured by a black masquerade mask, the signature feature of Order Lepidoptera's uniform.

"Apologies, Agent Swallowtail," replied Begonia. "You will have to ask the Monarch."

"The Monarch can give you that information," came another voice, higher pitched. "Rose. This could be a very troublesome meeting. Our client is one of them – a member of the group that has recently come to be known as the Eleven Supernovas."

Agent Swallowtail, whose given name was River Rose, stared up at the small, aging woman as she descended the castle stairs to the front hall.

"Daisy, I'm the last person you need to worry about," said Rose. She flipped her long, dark blue ponytail over her shoulder. "I've read the profiles of those pirates, and I don't think their powers are all that fantastic."

"Except what?" Daisy grinned.

"Well…" Rose muttered. "That guy Trafalgar Law… his 'Surgeon of Death' title is just a little bit intimidating."

"And of course, that's who you'll be meeting with," Daisy said.

"What?!"

Daisy chuckled, a mischievous light in her purple eyes as she watched Rose's reaction. "The Surgeon of Death will be receiving you at Sabaody Archipelago. His voice is unmistakable."

"And you were monitoring the call, as usual… Well, that's just perfect." Rose scrunched up her nose.

"Don't make those ridiculous faces," scolded Daisy, "or–"

"Or my face will stay this way?" Rose scoffed. "You're not my mother."

As she said this, Rose scanned the room for Begonia, but the servant was already gone.

Daisy fixed a bobby pin in her light blue hair, which was styled in perfect rolls. She wore a huge purple bow on the back of her skin-tight black outfit. "Of course I'm not. I'm far too youthful to have a daughter your age."

Rose rolled her eyes and turned to leave the hall.

"Information on the rumoured human auction attendees can be found on the fourth floor library," Daisy called after 'Agent Swallowtail' as Rose made her way out of the room.

* * *

Instead of following directions, Rose returned to her bedroom. She closed the black castle door firmly behind her and flopped onto her bed of black satin sheets and massive pillows. The Monarch's gothic aesthetic was a bit much for her. Perhaps that was why she tried to fit bright yellow into her own outfits as often as possible. Wearing a pop of colour felt a little bit like sticking her nose up at Daisy. Today, only the trim of her cropped halter top and the gold-hued elastic waist of her loose-fitting sparring pants could be described as colourful.

Rose sighed as she examined her clothing. _Well, an information broker has to be practical from time to time,_ she thought.

Lying on the bed, Rose contemplated her situation since the beginning of the day. She had returned from brokering another deal early this morning and crashed for a few hours, only to be woken by the buzzing of the snail phone downstairs. Begonia had answered as usual, but Rose was feeling antsy, and when she heard there was already another job up for grabs, she took her chance. She shouldn't have been so eager.

 _Trafalgar Law…_ Rose would have to read up on him, as well as the information he was seeking. It didn't surprise Rose that a man with such a gruesome title was looking to attend such a disgusting event, a live human auction. But maybe there was more to the picture?

Rose shook her head, sending the smooth strands of her blue bangs flying. She lifted a hand and curled it into a fist. _Just another gross man that I'll have to fake politeness to until he forks over the money… When am I going to meet anyone worth my time? I thought part of this job was getting to meet a lot of different people, but it's starting to seem like I only ever get to hold conversations with the scum of the earth._

With a sigh, Rose dropped her fist back on her bedsheet, then tucked her arms behind her head and stared at the stone ceiling. _If it weren't for that woman, I might have something to look forward to…_

* * *

When she closed her eyes, memories flashed before her in bits and pieces. Rose's mind wasn't a blank slate. She had memories since joining the Order, of course, and that had been over 15 years ago. But the effects of the wiping that Daisy had done when she joined were still strong.

Childhood was a black hole for Rose. All she could remember was the blurry, brown face of the woman she called mother, a wanted poster bearing the image of a pale and angry-looking man, and a flickering reflection. It was like she was looking at herself in the mirror, only the reflection had a softer, less curved nose, and brown eyes instead of her deep blue. Why was this all she was left with? Why was the reflection so different, and her mother so distant? Who was the man in the wanted poster? More importantly, where had her family gone?

Rose was certain, deep down, that she had a family. Her memory of her mother was not tinged with the sadness common to the departed. And surely she had a father somewhere… siblings? Grandparents? Neighbours? Friends? She shook herself out of this chain of thought, opened her eyes, and sat up in bed.

As long as she couldn't remember her life before, she would have to keep working for the Order. Rose didn't have anything else. She didn't exactly have friends here, but it wasn't too uncomfortable as long as she didn't have to spend much time with Daisy. Or Loa. But the freelancing assassin hadn't been spotted around the castle for a few weeks, something Rose was thankful for. Their breakup had gone… less than smoothly.

"I'm never dating a killer for hire again, I promise," Rose mumbled as she meandered out of her room and headed for the fourth floor library.

"Did you need something, Swallowtail?" asked Begonia, startling Rose as she passed on the stairs.

"Begonia! How many times have I told y– sorry. No, I was talking to myself. Go ahead with… whatever you were doing." Rose exhaled in relief as the servant continued down the staircase.

* * *

When Rose reached the library and closed the black double doors firmly, she was pleased to find herself alone. Light filtered through the arched windows, barely reaching the dozens of bookshelves that lined the walls.

The records here were the most recent, containing everything from the loss of swordsman Red-Haired Shanks's arm to the now infamous Enies Lobby Incident, when the Straw Hat pirates made a name for themselves by burning a World Government flag. In the late afternoon sun, Rose scanned the library for titles by date and by contents, looking for the listings that would note those expected in attendance at every Sabaody Human Auction in the last ten years, and for another, smaller book that would reveal Daisy's 'public' notes on the pirate known as Trafalgar Law.

Even within the Order, there were secrets that were too sensitive to be divulged freely among agents. This information was kept in the Monarch's chambers, where Daisy would reveal it to her workers only on an as-needed basis, or, of course, if one of the agents decided to pay for it. All agents profited from their individual information trades, but they owed a percentage back to the Order. The more information they were privy to, the more valuable they were and the more calls they could respond to, eventually making them more profitable. The most profitable of agents owed only a small fee back to Daisy in the end, and could become quite wealthy.

Rose, with her intermittent memory, was not much for rote memorization or for giving up her spending money. Her rank suffered little, however, because even the Monarch of Order Lepidoptera was not above a little favouritism. And, as if on cue, Daisy appeared in the doorway just as Rose was sitting down to review the books.

"Darling, are you certain you have everything you need?" asked Daisy. She approached the table where Rose was seated and slid a slim notebook over to her. The spine was so thin that Rose could barely make out the title: 'Flevance.'

"And how is this relevant to the Sabaody auction or Trafalgar Law?" Rose asked.

"You'll see if you read it…" Daisy replied. She took her leave of the library with a silent smile.

Rose only let out her breath once she was sure the Monarch was gone. Turning back to her books, she picked up Daisy's addition and began to flip through…

* * *

Horrified after the first few pages, Rose slammed the book shut. _Government cover-up? Deadly lead poisoning?_ This book was about the reaping of a country's resources at the cost of thousands of human lives! With trembling fingers, Rose pressed a hand to her forehead. She had heard some awful things about the world during her work with the order, but this Flevance incident nearly topped the list of atrocities. It would be difficult for her to read any more.

But, with a sigh, Rose realized that she had yet to put together what the incident had to do with her next job. Out of curiosity, she flipped to the last marked page of the book and began scanning for hints.

"Fatality rate of the final generation… 99 percent in 15 years… survivors all perished… hospitalized or by their own hand… known survivors currently–"

Rose dropped the book, and it landed with a _clunk_ on the table. She immediately flipped back to the last page to do a double-take.

"Known survivors currently: Trafalgar Law. Period. Does that mean he's the only survivor?"

Rose shook her head. "What kind of survivor of a government mass-murder goes on to… oh. I guess surviving something like that would make a man pretty angry." She scratched her head. "But a human auction? Something isn't right."

She thought and thought, and doodled on blank notebook pages, and scratched her head some more. But no matter which way she looked at the scenario, Rose couldn't figure it out.

"Ugh. Whatever. I don't need to know _why_ he's there. I just have to give him the information he wants and get out of there alive. And now I know what kind of man to expect…"

Tentatively, Rose opened the book labelled 'Eleven Supernovas' and continued to read about her next client.

* * *

Satisfied with her level of understanding (and her notes for when she forgot the details,) Rose returned to her room by moonlight to pack for her journey to Sabaody. It would be at least two days by air glider, the preferred method of transportation among Order Lepidoptera agents, and her deadline was now less than three days away. She gathered together a drawstring backpack with her notes, a change of clothes, and enough food and water for a week in case of emergency. Without even giving a thought to sleep, she headed down to the castle's landing field to collect her glider and head off to the job.

Rose's glider was yellow, of course. It stood out among a field of black, brown, and blue gliders; most agents claimed the dark colours helped them camouflage. Rose didn't care about that. Her nonchalance toward concealment and secrecy had earned her the affectionate nickname 'Sloppytail,' but Rose took it in stride.

In her opinion, if you were always worried about hiding, you must be spending a lot of time thinking you might get caught. Rose didn't have time for self-doubt. She was spending her time trying to find out who _she_ really was – and taking as many jobs as she could fit in between.

Lifting the light, wing-shaped glider over her head, Rose got a feel for the wind. She adjusted her backpack and brought her other arm up to the handlebar. Then, she took off running. When the breeze began to lift and Rose could feel her boots being tugged off the ground, she leaped and launched her body forward into the lying position. Her glider took off on the momentum, soaring with her higher and higher until she was far above the castle on Cocoon Island, but just below the clouds. So began the two-day trip to Sabaody Archipelago, eastbound toward the Red Line and back to Paradise, the eastern half of the Grand Line.

* * *

The syrupy bubbles that surrounded the archipelago popped against the edges of Rose's glider, showering her with slime.

"Ugh…" After two days with little sleep, she was not in the mood to be covered in the gluey goop. Not that any time would be a good time for that, in her opinion, but her sleep deprivation and the fact that she hadn't bathed in several days made the matter much, much worse.

When she finally found a place to park her glider, the first thing Rose did was pull out her notes to refresh herself on the information she was delivering.

"Other Supernovas… the Rosward family of the Celestial dragons… rumoured cargo includes a giant…" Rose nodded to herself as she read. "Fine. Now I just have to make my way to Sabaody Park and look for a man wearing this logo."

Rose's crude drawing of the Heart Pirates' symbol looked more like a child's depiction of the sun smiling than anything else, but it would work for her. She took a sip of water from her stash, replaced her notes in her bag, and set off on foot to find the famous amusement park of the archipelago. It was a fair walk from where she had parked, as she had noted while she soared above the islands. After hours without setting foot on land, however, the exercise felt good to Rose. She found herself wanting to skip a little as she walked.

* * *

Outside Sabaody Park, the captain of the Heart Pirates and his navigator waited for their designated information broker to meet them.

"Why did you tell the others they could go to the amusement park?" Bepo asked his captain. "Shouldn't they be here to hear this information? And why are we paying for this information in the first place? We're already here. We could investigate the attendees ourselves, and–"

"Bepo," Trafalgar Law answered, cutting off his anxious companion, "there is more to this meeting than the exchange of information."

"I see," said Bepo. "Wait. There is?!"

Law sighed. "Listen. Of course we could investigate those attending the auction ourselves, now that we're here. But that would take time, involve bribing and listening to many rumours that may or may not be true, and then some of the most important visitors might arrive unannounced or at the last minute. So, it's actually far cheaper to call the informant where both time and money are concerned."

Bepo was nodding vigorously as Law spoke.

"The informant will tell us what we need to know in short order and with fairly reliable accuracy. But most importantly," Law continued, "by meeting with a broker from Order Lepidoptera, I get to confirm for myself the state of their members, the accuracy of their intel, and whether I can find someone trustworthy among them to help me acquire important information as we travel in the New World!"

"Captain!" Bepo cried. "You're so smart!"

Law managed a half-smile in the direction of his friend. The bear's worried expression had calmed somewhat, but he still appeared unnerved.

"Um, but, Captain? You never explained why you sent the crew away…"

"Right, sorry. It's simple, really. I don't want to intimidate whomever I'm meeting with. This 'Swallowtail' person will probably be expecting just myself, and maybe one other person for protection. Otherwise, if I were them, I'd be hesitant to approach. So I'm trying to give them what they want."

Taking the hilt of the large sword he had slung over his back, Law gestured at himself and Bepo.

"I see, I see!" exclaimed Bepo. "Everything makes sense now. I hope agent Swallowtail arrives soon…"

"Me too, Bepo."

* * *

Agent Swallowtail was, in fact, approaching the park. Rose smiled at the sight of the capsules slowly rotating on the Ferris wheel. Perhaps, if the deal went well and quick, she would allow herself to take a ride.

That thought disappeared like a popped syrup bubble as she came closer to the amusement park's fence. Leaning on the fence near the entrance was a tall man with dark hair covered by a fluffy white hat and a sweatshirt that bore a familiar symbol. Rose paused, opened her bag, and confirmed what she was seeing against her notes: Trafalgar Law was now in front of her. A large polar bear was standing upright beside the Supernova. The bear was wearing a boiler suit, also emblazoned with the Heart Pirates' logo, and it seemed to be twiddling its paws nervously.

"Trafalgar Law," Rose said as she stepped forward to meet him. "I'm agent Swallowtail."

"Of course. We've been expecting you," Law said with a smirk.

"N-nice… to meet you…" murmured Bepo.

Rose gaped in surprise.

"The bear talks? Wait, I think I've heard of this happening before…"

"You probably have, if you're an information broker," Law commented. "He's a member of the mink tribe."

"That's the name!" Rose snapped her fingers. "I guess he's your bodyguard or something?"

"Or something," said Law. "Now, can we please get right to business?"

"Of course. I need my relaying fee. It's 10,000 Beli for this transaction. I'm afraid your call was cut short, so Begonia– I mean– ah shoot. We're not supposed to use true names," Rose muttered, shaking her head. "Well, anyway–"

"I suppose Swallowtail isn't your real name either, then?" Law asked.

"That information would cost you a hefty fee," Rose shot back.

"I'm sorry. Please, continue," said Law, his lips creeping into a snarky grin.

"Anyway. As I was saying, because we failed to inform you of all the charges up front, the Monarch has kindly offered you a 1,000 Beli discount on the usual fee for this intel. If you accept, you must pay me now in cash. If you refuse, I will be on my way immediately. And don't think of trying to force the information out of me for free…" Rose narrowed her eyes at the much larger Law. "That's been tried before, and it will not get you the results you're looking for. Trust me."

"I'm still trying to figure out if I can trust you or not! But of course, I won't turn down the Monarch's generosity. I'll pay you what's owed. Then you'll tell me what I want to know. Is that right?"

"That's right."

Without further hassle, Law gestured for Bepo to hand over a burlap bag. He passed it along to Rose, who checked the currency to make sure every Beli was accounted for, then opened her drawstring backpack and added it to her stash.

"Let's move to a slightly more private location, then," suggested Law.

"Oh, no," said Rose. "This is perfect."

Both Law and Bepo stared at her.

"I know it looks like there are too many other people around, and someone might overhear," she told them. "But believe me, in this hustle and bustle, no one is paying attention to what we're saying. And the three of us standing in a group seems so much less suspicious outside this amusement park than it would if we were totally alone. If we stick out, we're more likely to be spied on, unless we have a very good hiding spot. And I don't see one anywhere nearby, do you?"

Law chuckled. "Impressive. Your reasoning has me convinced."

"Good," said Rose. "Now, listen up." She leaned forward and told the two Heart Pirates everything they'd paid for.

* * *

"That's everything we had in our records, Mr. Trafalgar."

"Law. Please call me Law. And that sounds right to me, Agent Swallowtail. So, while you're here, I have one more question for you."

"Fair enough, but if it's complicated, I might not–"

"It's not about information. But I've been watching you as you talked about the auction attendees, and I can't help but notice that you seem a little… disgusted." Law grinned.

"I hope I haven't offended you–"

"Of course not. We're not going to buy anything at the auction. We're going to… disrupt it."

Rose's mouth fell open for a second time.

"What I was wondering was," Law continued, "would you be interested in joining us?"

For a moment, Rose hesitated. If Daisy were watching, the Monarch would frown at the eagerness emanating from her in that moment. No agent of Order Lepidoptera would be an instigator. The Order was a neutral party. The agents were to maintain that status by serving no interest but the Monarch's, and taking no side but that of the paying customer. Yet Rose felt, somewhere inside, that she could not waste the chance this man was offering her. Sticking it to the human auction attendees would feel a little bit like rebelling against a bigger force in Rose's life – Daisy. And that was all the convincing she needed.

"Actually," said Rose, "I would."

* * *

"We're waiting here another hour until the rest of our crew is supposed to meet us," Bepo said cautiously.

"Mhmm." Rose nodded, trying not to do anything to startle the bear.

"I won't ask you to give me your real name again," Law said, "but how should I introduce you to the crew? They need to be able to address a co-conspirator."

"Swallowtail is fine," said Rose.

Law nodded. All at once, an awkward silence formed around the trio, like the sap bubbling off the nearby Yakuman trees. It was going to be a long wait for the rest of the Heart Pirates to return.

When the others straggled out of Sabaody Park, a trickle of white-boiler-suit-clad figures grinning, dawdling, and snacking on cotton candy, Rose was beginning to regret her decision. This bunch of pirates looked more like a collection of oversized misfit children than hardened warriors of the Grand Line. But Rose cast her doubts aside. Once the captain waved his crew over, it was too late to leave.

"Everyone," said Law, "this is Swallowtail." He pointed at Rose, who sheepishly scanned the crowd of new faces. Suddenly, a low and trembling voice called out.

"S-swallowtail? Is that a code-name?"

Rose pushed through the ring of Heart Pirates that had gathered around her and found herself face-to-face with an eerie sight. Deep brown eyes stared at her, like they could see right through her alias. Under a forest green cap, Rose could see soft, dark blue hair cut in a bob with bangs that matched her own.

The man was taller than her by a few inches, so Rose found herself staring up as he whispered: "Rose… is that you?"

She nearly fell back on her heels. As she stumbled, the man grabbed for her hand and held on until she could steady herself. Again, Rose stared up, and realized why the face was familiar – it was the face in the mirror, the one she had seen in her memories. Only now, she knew that it hadn't been her own reflection.

"You're my twin," she murmured, still in shock.

"I… that's right. I-it's me, Ross!" The man had a pronounced stutter that triggered a thousand memories at once.

In an instant, Rose found herself lying on the ground. It felt to her like the whole world was spinning.

"Ross!" Law yelled. "What did you do?"

"N-nothing, Captain! She just- she just collapsed!"

The Heart Pirate known as Penguin spoke up. "I heard her say something about twins before she passed out."

"O-of course. That is, she's my twin sister, captain." Ross said.

"She's _what?_ " the Heart Pirates asked unanimously.

"You have a twin sister?" Law asked.

"Well. H-had. Er. Have now. She's been missing for a very long time. I had s-sort of thought she was…"

"So she's your long-lost twin? How ridiculous is that?!" laughed Shachi, the Heart Pirate standing next to Penguin.

Amidst this commotion, Rose was struggling to get back to her feet. She felt hands grabbing her by the shoulders and helping her up. When she turned to see who it was, she found Trafalgar Law.

Now surrounded by Heart Pirates on all sides, face-to-face with their captain and a member of the Eleven Supernovas, and having just been reintroduced to her long-lost twin, Rose was very much the centre of attention.

"I'm sorry, everyone," said Law. "I started to introduce this person before, but I was mistaken about her identity. This is…"

"Rose!" Ross chimed in.

"Yes, Rose, Ross's twin sister. She is going to be assisting our surveillance of the human auction."

Rose reeled. The crowd of Heart Pirates cheered.

"It's-s-s so good to see you again," Ross said. He wrapped her in a tight embrace, and Rose didn't have the strength to refuse at the moment.

It was going to be a very, very long day.

* * *

After a short walk into the archipelago's city centre, Rose found herself standing around Law with the rest of the Heart Pirates. He was seated on an overturned cargo crate, watching a fight that had just broken out between an extraordinarily large winged man and another man with rotating blades strapped to his arms.

It was a mesmerizing struggle, and after the information overload she had just suffered, watching the fight eased Rose's mind. She was only reminded of her situation every so often, when her newly rediscovered brother would nudge her to mention something or check how she was feeling. Rose couldn't decide if his worry was comforting or bothersome, but she didn't have the heart to tell him to leave her alone.

"Drake…"

Law's voice broke Rose's chain of thought, and she realized that the fight had ended. A muscular man sporting a plumed hat was conversing with the captain of the Heart Pirates. Rose didn't catch the words that were exchanged, but it seemed like the man in the hat left slightly unnerved. Only once he was gone did Rose realize that she had just seen Red Flag X Drake, another member of the Eleven Supernovas.

Having finished provoking Drake, Law stood up and started away from the commotion. "We're heading to the auction house immediately. I want to be the first group to arrive."

"So you can watch out for the other attendees," Rose said under her breath.

But Law overheard. "No, _Rose._ So I can start instigating my plan."

* * *

The Heart Pirates filed into the auction house with little trouble. They were not, to the captain's disappointment, the first group to arrive. They were, however, the first bounties of note by Rose's records. This fact consoled Law as he chose a bench and seated himself. Rose took a seat next to Ross; he looked like he wanted to ask for her company, but couldn't quite manage the question. Penguin and Shachi sat at her other side.

Rose removed her backpack and rifled through her notes once again. With so many Supernovas confirmed on the island, who would actually make an appearance at the auction? And when would the expected Celestial Dragons make their appearance?

Her boots tapping on the stone, Rose flipped through the bounty posters of the Eleven Supernovas, trying to keep her actions somewhat concealed. She recognized from their earlier struggle that the large winged man was Mad Monk Urouge, and the man with blades on his arms was Killer, a member of the…

The Kid Pirates strolled into the auction house just as Rose flipped to the bounty of their captain, Eustass 'Captain' Kidd. They asserted their presence by leaning against the wall at the top of the auction room near the entrance and staring down at the rest of the room. The harsh-looking group was decked out in spiked armour, fishnet clothing, and assorted weaponry.

Rose turned to get a better look, and noticed that Kidd was speaking to his subordinates. Then, she witnessed an even more worrisome sight – Law raised a hand to Captain Kidd and flipped him the bird!

 _Sheesh!_ thought Rose. _I thought he was a man with a plan, but who on earth does Trafalgar Law think he is? Is this what being the sole survivor of a tragedy like Flevance does to you?_

Then, the lights in the auction house dimmed, and the auctioneer raised his voice. "Presenting the Celestial Dragons, the great Saint Rosward and Princess Sharlia! Please bow for the entrance of our great superiors!"

Ross was watching Rose nervously. Rose frowned, but lowered her head along with the rest of the crowd. When she looked forward to Law, she saw that he had only barely tipped his head, so that the fluffy white hat on his head gave the appearance of a respectful bow. A scowl was etched on his lips.

Rose smiled at that. As troublesome as Trafalgar Law had been thus far, there was something about him that appealed to her. A quality that she couldn't put her finger on. As the lights came up and the auction started, she considered asking him exactly what he had in store for the people she had informed him about.

What happened next made her forget she had anything to say. All at once, the curtains were raised to reveal the shadow of a woman with a fish's tail, swimming in a huge bowl of water. A warbling voice cried out, "500 million Beli!"

The entire room held their breath. Then like a strike of lightning, a man came flying through the roof of the auction house, bringing the ceiling down with him. He quarrelled with a few attendees at the top of the staircase, then turned to face the stage and cried:

"Ah! Keimi! We were looking for you!"

All hell broke loose. The mermaid on stage cried out. In the audience, an octopus fishman leapt after the man who had crashed through the ceiling, causing the other attendees to squeal in disgust. The originator of this chaos was now running down the stairs, toward the stage. As he passed Rose's aisle, she recognized him immediately as 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy, one of the Eleven Supernovas and also one most wanted men on the entire Sabaody Archipelago. Things were going to get ugly.

A Celestial Dragon rose from his seat and shot the octopus fishman. Then, in his breathing bubble, air protection suit and all, he began to dance and exclaim, "I got him! I finished him off!" Others in the audience screamed.

On stage, the mermaid pounded her fists on the walls of her watery prison. Monkey D. Luffy stopped running. He turned to face the Celestial Dragon who had shot the fishman, a terrifying glower masking his youthful features. The fishman raised a weak arm, as if pleading with the Supernova not to go any further.

Monkey D. Luffy dropped to his knees to console the fishman for a moment, but the touching scene soon came to an abrupt end. Rose could hardly believe what happened next. The Celestial Dragon pointed his gun at the fishman and his companion and cried, "I shot you, but you're still talking! You piss me off!"

"You piss me off too!" the pirate replied. He burst the Celestial Dragon's protective bubble, punching him square in the jaw.

The auction house erupted into screams, and the crowd began running amok. The remaining Dragons in the audience tried in vain to make a stand, but they were quickly taken down by auction guests that Rose didn't recognize.

She searched the moving crowd for Trafalgar Law, but found he was still sitting in front of her with an absurd grin across his face. The other Heart Pirates had also remained seated, even Ross; he had removed his hat and was clutching it for dear life, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Rose, standing on flight instinct, forced herself to sit back down.

"Is this all part of your plan, Law?" she asked.

"Not at all," said Law, still grinning, "but I'd say things are going better than planned."

* * *

One moment blurred into the next. Rose watched as a giant broke free from behind the auction stage, and an old man wiped out the lingering civilians in the crowd with his Conqueror's Haki – a trick Rose hadn't seen since she was young. Warnings were announced all across the island that the marines were gathering a Buster Call, and an admiral would be arriving shortly. Marine soldiers had gathered outside the auction house to arrest the pirates, and Law, Kidd, and Straw Hat Luffy bickered over who would fight them. The mermaid was freed and returned to her friends. Likewise, Rose soon found herself taking up her taekwondo stance outside the auction house, preparing to fight alongside her brother for the first time in many, many years.

As Trafalgar Law led the Heart Pirates through the marines' onslaught and away from the fray, a huge man in chains joined their group. Jean Bart, who had been a slave to the Celestial Dragons, signed on with the Heart Pirates right then and there. Along with the Heart Pirates, Rose kicked, flipped, twisted and parried, fighting her way across the groves of the archipelago. A Pacifista met them – one of the giant robots that Rose had thought only a rumour until she found herself face to face with its searing laser eyes.

Eventually, they made it to the grove where their ship was docked – a small yet vibrant submarine. Rose loved it instantly. The bright yellow paint and orange trim made her want to admire the ship all day, but there was hardly time for that. It wasn't until Rose had boarded the ship that she remembered she was not actually a Heart Pirate – and she had left her glider on an island that was about to be destroyed by a buster call.

"That was a little more than you signed up for, hmm?" Law's voice startled Rose out of her realizations.

"More than a little. Let's see, I've been reunited with my twin brother than I haven't seen in at least 15 years… I met six of the Eleven Supernovas in the span of a few hours... I saw a mermaid, was threatened by Conqueror's Haki, and fought a Pacifista. Oh, and I left my glider on that godforsaken island."

Law chuckled. "And I thought information brokers were supposed to be the experienced ones."

"Did you know," asked Rose sarcastically, "that you can read a hundred books without ever leaving your house?"

"Rose," Ross interrupted, "I'm sorry t-to, well, you know, you're t-talking to the captain and all, but. I have to ask. Are you going to stay with us?"

Rose couldn't answer. She just stared at her twin.

"Well," asked Law, "are you?"

"Is that a formal invitation?" Rose laughed. "I wish I didn't have to say no."

"You don't have to," said Law. "I've seen you fight. I'd vouch for you on that alone. And I'm sure the others wouldn't question my decision."

"That's not the problem," said Rose. "I'm afraid I reported that I'd be back. And where I work, if you don't come back, you need to be prepared for consequences that… let's just say I'm a little under-prepared for at the moment."

"Rose, please," Ross interjected. "If something is c-causing you trouble, the captain can help–"

"Volunteering me for another rescue mission, Ross?"

"N-no! I just–"

Law waved his hand at Ross. "I was kidding. I can help Rose if she needs it. The knowledge she has from her job is worth that price and more."

"Listen, you two." As Rose spoke, the men turned to look at her. "I'm working where I am for a reason. The Monarch – the woman I work for – she's a scary woman. And she did something really horrible to me…"

Ross sniffled.

"Don't cry, Ross. If you want to know why I never came home or fought back, all these years… it's because I couldn't remember where home was, or who exactly was there, and I didn't have a reason to fight. That woman took them from me, and she's taken even more from others. I want to put a stop to it. It's easier to find a way to do that if I'm constantly around her. And the best way to get close to her is by working for the Order."

Law blinked, as if processing Rose's story. "I don't understand everything you've just told me, but I can tell you one thing. If this woman is stronger than you, you're wasting your time trying to find a way to fight her alone. Let us help you. Between the two of us, you and I can probably find a way to stop this woman, or at least get you away from her until you can come up with the way to beat her."

"The problem is, when it comes to beating the Monarch, I don't even know where to start!" Rose complained. "Listen, just take me to the Red Line. I'll find a way back to where I need to be, or call a fellow agent from there. If I get you involved, you'll all be risking way more than you should be, I can guarantee that! You don't know what you're signing up for!"

"You're right," said Law, "but you can tell me. In fact, I'll even pay you for that intel. And if you won't give me your personal snail phone number, I will call the order and make a formal request!"

"Ugh!" Rose yelled. She walked away from the men and into the steel doors that would normally lead to the upper deck of the submarine… if they weren't underwater. Rose grunted in frustration and banged her fists against the door, making a sound that echoed across the ship.

Law approached her from behind. "Never mind," he said. "Forget I said anything. I'll take you to the Red Line. You can go back to Order Lepidoptera and monitor this woman you're so afraid of. Leave your brother behind – he's only been trying to find you for over a decade. He doesn't even know you. Hell, I don't even know you, why would I offer to help?"

"Shut up," Rose said. "I get it already. You're willing to risk an awful lot for a stranger, though."

"I consider it an investment in the future," said Law. "So what do you really want to do?"

Ross approached them cautiously. "Are you really going to leave, Rose?"

"For a little bit," Rose said gently. "But I'll be back in time. And your captain can see me again sooner than that – if he's willing to make the appropriate arrangements."


	2. Intoxicating

"Waiting for someone?"

Rose smiled as she slid onto the bar stool, across from where Trafalgar Law was seated at a dimly lit table for two. Despite the packed atmosphere of the Dirty Urchin, he had somehow managed to reserve a spot for her.

"Would you take those sunglasses off now? You look ridiculous. We're indoors and–" Law began to complain, but Rose cut him off.

"And it's after dark? Right, since it's so hard to see anything in here, why don't I just ditch my whole disguise? Gloves, hair wrap, tattoo-covering dress…"

"You have a tattoo?"

Rose would have rolled her eyes at the question; her tattoo was an enormous indigo butterfly, the mark of the Order, etched across the centre of her chest and frequently visible above her usual low-cut clothing. However, she was interrupted by two firm hands that grasped her sunglasses and slid them off of her face.

"That's better," said Law. "Now, maybe you can almost see my face when I talk to you."

"Can we please get back to the subject at hand? I'm not here to have fun, I'm here to set-up a take-down. Are you with me or not?"

* * *

After Rose had been dropped off at the Red Line and made her way to the arranged meeting spot, she was surprised to see that Begonia had not sent a formal member of the Order to retrieve her, but Loa. The tall, red-haired assassin was waiting outside a Marine outpost. She was armed with a rifle, and wearing her usual mask: round, flat, cream-colored, and punctuated by a single blood-red diamond painted over the left eye.

"No one was free, so they sent me to bring you home." Loa's coarse voice gave an edge to every word.

"That's a lie, and we both know it," Rose replied without a second thought.

Loa paused for a moment. "I _have_ been wanting to speak with you."

"What's left to say?"

"I wish things had ended differently."

"Me too. But we called it quits for good this time."

'This time' was the third time Rose and Loa had broken up. Their passionate affair was first called off when Loa refused to reveal her face, rekindled when Rose saw it accidentally, and finally, called off again most recently when Loa had informed her that " _as long as you're with me, there will always be some things you will be kept in the dark about._ "

"Let's not dwell on a sore subject, okay?" Rose said.

"You're seeing someone else already, aren't you?"

Rose shook her head. "No way," she said. "You know me, Loa. I'm the type to hang on to the memories I have. I'm not gonna bounce back so quickly. I just don't want to spend the whole two-day trip back talking about feelings."

"But you look different, Rose. You were working yourself to the bone. You haven't been sleeping or eating properly, I know. Now all of a sudden, you look like you've been revived from the dead. If it's not that you're seeing someone else, then what happened on this mission?"

"It has nothing to do with the mission." Rose looked away.

"Bullshit," Loa hissed. "You had to meet me on the Red Line. You were incapacitated, your glider is gone, and the island you were supposed to be on last was reportedly hit with a Buster Call. How did you get out of there? Who were you with? What the hell did you see?"

"Fine, fine! It might be related to something I saw… but I couldn't even begin to tell you the whole story," Rose replied, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "And the only person I _have_ to report to is the Monarch. So let it be. I also don't want to spend the whole trip arguing, or following you in silence."

"That's too bad," said Loa, "because I have nothing else to say to you."

* * *

And so Rose and Loa's trip passed silently, for the most part. They sailed from the Red Line in a tiny dinghy that barely fit the two of them lying down. By day, Rose recalled the details of her meeting with her brother in her notebook. She scrawled down as much as she could remember, as though she would forget it in a moment if she failed to put it to the page.

Loa made no comment. Loa did nothing, in fact, but stare out at the sea (or so it appeared to Rose, for the other woman never removed her mask). By night, Loa would check the stars through the detachable scope of her rifle and make adjustments to their course. Rose slept away the nights, or closed her eyes and replayed moments from Sabaody when she failed to fall into slumber.

Finally, two-and-a-half days after they had set out, they landed at Cocoon Island. Rose immediately hopped out of the boat and bolted for the passageway carved into the cliff. This path allowed members of the Order to make it to the House of the Monarch without traversing the deadly jungle all around it. She heaved open the iron-and-thorn gates at the top of the cliff and passed through to the inner garden surrounding the manor. Then, she stormed up to the grandiose front door and strode through into the familiar stone entranceway.

"Agent Sw-"

"No announcement necessary, thanks, Begonia," Rose interrupted as she hurried past the servant.

She headed straight for her bedroom, pulled her notebook out of her drawstring backpack, and tucked it under her mattress. Then, she dropped the rest of her belongings and left the room as quickly as she had entered, making her way up to the fourth-floor library.

When she pushed through the doors, she found someone perched atop one of the desks, waiting for her.

"Rose! How wonderful to see you unharmed," rang the sickeningly sweet voice of Daisy the Monarch. "With all the chaos surrounding your destination, I had wondered if we would see you again in one piece!"

"I called with a status report after I escaped the Buster Call. You should have got it from Beg–"

"Ah, yes, of course I remember that. But I'm afraid I found your initial report to be… lacking. We can discuss that momentarily. But first…" Daisy held out her hand.

Rose came closer and handed over the small burlap sack, full of the Beli that she had earned from Law. Daisy held it up to her eye to check the bills inside.

"Very good. Now, you will also need to tell me the remaining details that you left out of your first report."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rose rebutted. "If anything was missing from my report, it was probably because I barely survived to get off that island. _You_ 'll have to tell me what it is you think I forgot to mention. You know me;" Rose glared at Daisy as she spoke; "I don't have a great memory."

Daisy chuckled as she stared down at Rose. Seated on the desk, Daisy came up just a little bit taller than her subordinate. Were they both standing, she would have no choice but to look up, for even petite Rose had two inches on the 5'1" Monarch.

Rose was not intimidated by Daisy's gaze- merely impatient for the questions she knew were coming.

"Clearly, you made the transaction as arranged. Why did you not leave immediately afterward? As I hear it, the Buster Call came as a result of events that took place _during_ the auction. If you delivered your information in a timely manner, you need not have been around for that."

Rose wracked her brain for a good, convincing lie, but nothing was coming up. It was no good trying to stall when talking to Daisy, so she found herself blurting out: "They asked me to stay."

"Who asked you?"

"The Heart Pirates. Well, of course, I got an invitation from the captain…" Rose's cheeks flushed as the truth continued to spill out. "To go to the auction with them. And I thought, since I was already there, why shouldn't I go? It was a great chance to get some inside information–"

"So you're telling me you deviated from the Order's neutrality policies in order to attend a _live human auction_ on the grounds that you were _invited by a pirate?_ " Daisy frowned.

Rose shrugged.

"Rule-breaking aside, it's quite a stunning revelation to learn that one of my own agents was present during a ground-breaking event for the age. You will have to tell me _everything_." As Daisy said this, she extended a hand, attempting to touch Rose's forehead.

Rose jumped back reflexively and tumbled into some chairs, knocking them over. She ended up tangled in a heap on the ground, between the many wooden legs.

"Why are you afraid, Rose? What do you need those memories for? I'm going to record them right away, so you'll be able to read them any time!"

"I don't have anything to hide!" Rose struggled to free herself from the pile of chairs as quickly as possible. "But I'd rather not have my mind wiped for the… _whatever_ number time this is that you're trying to do it! I'll tell you anything you want to know if you ask!"

"Hmm," Daisy replied. "It's funny that you should feel my Wipe-Wipe Fruit powers are so invasive, if you have no memory from any of the previous times you've experienced them." Her face contorted, an eerie grin forming on her lips.

Rose closed her eyes. A feeling of dread was overwhelming her body. Her vision blurred and her knees weakened.

"Come here, darling," said Daisy. "If you're good, I promise it will be quick. Then you can even take a few days off and rest!"

Rose tried to speak, but found her lips could not form the words. She felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead. With nothing left to go on but instinct, she turned and ran for the door. But instead of heading down the stairs toward her room or the exit of the house, she ran up. And up. And up.

Daisy's room was on the highest floor of the manor, at the top of a tower eight stories above ground. The most valuable, top-secret information was stored up there, but it was rumoured that the Monarch also kept a record on every member of the Order up there. Rose ran up those stairs like she was running from death itself. Of course, the door was locked. But Rose wasn't interested in the door. In a moment of pure fear and adrenaline, she had come up with a better idea.

Above the entrance to Daisy's room was an elegant, ornate skylight. With all the force she could muster, Rose leapt off the wall and kicked into the stained glass. It shattered around her as the glass replica of the Order's butterfly emblem, a perfect match for the tattoo on Rose's chest, was broken.

Again Rose leapt up and pulled her body through the now-empty skylight. She had no care for the tears in her clothing or the cuts newly streaking her bare arms. Immediately, she slammed all of her weight into the roof above Daisy's room, a tiled, conical turret much weaker than the stone side-walls of the manor. It took her three tries, but eventually she crashed through the ceiling, bringing much of the roof down with her.

The commotion alerted the entire house. Daisy, who had just made it to the entrance of Rose's room, immediately turned around.

"All present, report to the eighth floor staircase!" she shouted as she ran. Her grin from before grew wider.

Upstairs, Rose was sifting through the books in Daisy's room as quickly as she could manage – _Grey Terminal, Skypeia History, Joy Boy, damn!_ Rose thought. _If only there weren't so many! If only I could read a little faster!_ She flung books and files everywhere, tearing up the room, until she heard the first knocks at the door.

"Damn Order servants! Got so many rules ingrained in you that you're knocking at the door during a burglary!" Rose laughed, a hint of desperation in her voice.

Then her hands settled on a thin, familiar volume. She pulled it out of the pile of books she had dumped on the floor. _Flevance_ , the title glimmered.

 _Not quite what I wanted,_ Rose thought, _but for now, it'll do._

A breeze blew in from outside the manor, cooling her sweat-soaked skin. Daisy had left the window open. The sound of voices reached Rose's ears, and she realized that servants and agents were gathering outside Daisy's door. Rose couldn't reach the ceiling to climb back through. _Guess this is how it's gotta be,_ she thought.

Stuffing the book into the waistband of her pants, Rose forced herself halfway through the narrow window and glanced down. Daisy's window looked out right above the highest cliff on the island. If Rose fell now, not only would she fall the full eight stories of the tower, but she would likely continue right down the side of the island and into the rocky sea below.

Rose instinctively closed her eyes. She forced her body out of the window, and hung by her hands over that deadly drop. Cautiously, she opened one eye, then the other.

"Wait 'til I tell my crybaby brother about this," she mumbled. In one fluid motion, Rose pulled herself up to stand on the window ledge. She jumped upward, and with one hand, just managed to grasp the edge of the roof. Rose pulled herself up beside the hole she had made, and there she waited.

"Everyone, quiet please," came Daisy's ever-polite voice through the door. "Someone dangerous has broken through the skylight and likely used that to enter my room. Be cautious as you enter. The intruder will likely be violent!"

There was the sound of a lock clicking open, and a _creak_ as the door swung in. The Monarch filed into the room, surrounded by her followers.

Rose waited until she heard no more footsteps, and then gingerly crept back down to the lowest point on the tower roof. If any of the members of Order Lepidoptera had thought to look up at that moment, they would have seen Rose's fingers disappear as she hung down through the empty skylight and let go, sliding down behind the crowd inspecting Daisy's room. Thankfully, their attentions were focused on the open window and the mess all over the floor.

And so Rose, free for the moment, held her breath and ran as quietly as she could down the stairs and out the front door. She didn't look back even once.

* * *

Rose hurried down the cliffside, to the beach where she and Loa had docked their dinghy just hours ago. She stepped into the tiny boat and reached over to untie it from the dock– when a gloved hand reached up and grabbed hers.

Loa was still in the boat.

"What are you doing here?!" Rose exclaimed. Her face was dripping with sweat, she was out of breath, and her hair was falling out of her ponytail on all sides.

"Taking a nap," replied Loa, taken aback by Rose's appearance and her sudden decision to speak to her again. "I didn't sleep well on our trip."

"Well, get out of the boat! I have to leave, _now_!"

"What could possibly be the rush?" Loa asked.

"Just get out! Please, Loa, can you do me a favour? Just this once?"

Loa paused for a moment, her hand still touching Rose's. Gently, she squeezed Rose's hand, then let go.

"I don't know what this is about," she said, "but for all the secrets I've kept from you, I guess I owe you one. Just this once."

"Thanks," Rose exhaled as Loa climbed back onto the dock. "Maybe if I live long enough for us to meet again, I'll explain then."

Loa shook her head. "Don't be so dramatic." She reached into the cleavage of her dress and pulled out a small, flat knife. With it, she slashed the line that Rose had tried so desperately to untie. Then, Loa kicked the dinghy off into the waves.

Without speaking, the two women watched each other as the distance grew between the boat and the island. Eventually, Rose could no longer make out Loa's figure on the shore. She pulled her tiny, personal snail phone out of her boot.

"Now would be a good time to call me, Surgeon of Death." Rose watched with hopeful eyes as the tiny creature slept in her hand.

* * *

"So, what you're telling me is: you wrecked your boss's house, stole classified information, and ran away from the Order without any survival supplies, navigational equipment, or planning whatsoever? I guess when I called you after that, it was just pure luck that you could even answer." Law closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "How are you even here right now? Where did you get these clothes? How have you been eating?"

"Whoa, whoa, who cares about that stuff? We have more important things to discuss now that you kn…" Rose cut herself off when she noticed Law's glare. "What do you want me to say? I stole stuff. I went to bars and traded information for food, or a trip one island over. You're lucky a nice old woman let me take a shower at her house before I came here, because I hadn't washed up since…"

"Alright, I get the point. You're as good as a pirate already, where morals are concerned. So what do you want to do? The Order is probably going to come after you, right? That makes my offer to help you out a lot more troublesome to orchestrate, you know."

"I wasn't planning on letting the Order come to me. I figured we'd just go straight back to them, and end it once and for all… maybe after stocking up on weapons and supplies."

"You're telling me you have no plan at all. You had no plan for any of this! Here I was believing you were a competent information broker, a skilled fighter, and possibly a useful ally. I thought by dropping you off like you asked, I was allowing you to set up a trap or collect some necessary intel, but clearly I misjudged your foresight!"

Rose didn't reply. She lifted one gloved hand off the table and slowly lowered each digit until only her middle finger was sticking up.

Law pushed her hand aside. "Regardless of the disaster of a story you just told me, I don't really have a choice other than to help you."

"And why is that?" Rose asked.

"Well, I'll lose my best surgical assistant if I don't."

"You mean Ross." Rose frowned. For a moment, she had forgotten one of the most important reasons she had come back to Trafalgar Law for help.

"Yeah. Listen, I could sit here all night and complain about what a disastrous waste of time your return to the Order was, but the fact of the matter is, we have no time for that. We're back where we started when I first asked you to join. The Monarch is going to–"

"She won't come after me personally. At least, not at first. She'll need time to regain her composure. And if we're lucky, she hasn't discovered my intentions or allegiances yet. I didn't offer her a full report on what happened at Sabaody, which is part of the reason I ended up running away on such short notice, and…"

Suddenly, Rose gasped. "I left my notebook under the mattress!"

Law frowned. "I take it that notebook might give our plans away."

Rose looked down at her hands. She rubbed at her recently-acquired leather gloves.

"If that's bothering you, take them off," commented Law. "Like I was trying to say before, you didn't really need to come in disguise, anyway – she's not going to find us that quickly. Look at me, I'm not in disguise." He gestured at the Jolly Roger printed on his sweater. "Anyone who could have recognized us probably would have found me suspicious already."

"You really have no clue. Agents of the Order could be anywhere. Most of them are way better at waiting and hiding than I am."

With a sigh, Rose removed her gloves. As she did so, Law caught sight of the rough, red scars on the palms of both her hands.

"Are those…"

"I don't remember. Don't ask me anything about my past – I won't remember. There are things about _my own body_ that I don't know. When did I agree to get a huge butterfly tattooed on my chest? Where do these scars on my hands come from? Who cuts my hair – has it always been this long? The fact that I don't know these things is just one example of why I need to defeat the Monarch."

"Because she's responsible for causing your memory loss?" asked Law. "Not that another reason is necessary, but…"

He watched in surprise as Rose removed a thin, worn book from one of her boots and held it up close to his face. _Flevance_ , the title read. Law reached out to touch it, but Rose pulled the book away and held it to her chest.

"Daisy doesn't just wipe people's memories. She can wipe on whatever she wipes off. How do you think she manages to keep a record of everything that's currently happening in the world? No one person could handle all that knowledge. So she doesn't. She wipes the memories of her agents, and records them in books like this." Rose held the book out for Law to take.

"We were never allowed to have knowledge that would affect us personally. I guess my past would affect my ability to work for the Order. But I can't remember why. And I know that somewhere, she owns the only record of all the information I'm missing, just like she owns _that_ book – a secret I'm guessing you thought only you should know."

Law had flipped to the middle of the book, near where the record ended; the thin volume had many pages left blank. He said nothing, but traced the words on the page with one fingertip.

"Of course I want revenge." Rose sighed. "You probably know how that feels. But more than revenge, I want my life back. And I want to make sure that no one has to suffer what I did, ever again."

Law nodded, still engrossed by the book.

* * *

Back at the House of the Monarch, Daisy sat on Rose's bed, looking over her room. Rose's drawstring backpack was still lying where she had dropped it in a hurry. It rested on a pile of worn clothing, beside the desk Rose often used for taking notes. Even though she was gone, much of the room still felt like the former Agent's property. One curtain was dusty, permanently closed, while the other hung open day and night. A pile of pillows remained on one corner of the bed, because Rose never took up much space on the double-sized mattress. The bed was slightly unmade – not unusual for Rose, but she hadn't slept at the castle for several days, and…

Daisy got up. She slid one perfectly manicured, aging hand under the messy covers and beneath Rose's mattress. Slowly, she pulled out the notebook that had been stashed there a few days earlier.

She thumbed through the notes. Rose's barely-legible handwriting was punctuated by terrible drawings. Typical notes that the agent would make before departing on a dispensing mission. But as Daisy neared the end of the book, she found the handwriting becoming a scrawl, and the drawings disappeared. Even the Monarch's well-taught eye could not make out every word in a sentence.

_My brother works… the Surgeon… assistant… pirate. Remember fighting side-by-side, no martial arts… crybaby. We… twins… dark brown eyes. His nose… he says… looks like mom._

"I see," said Daisy aloud, to no one in particular. "So you've found your brother. I wonder how much he knows. And the Surgeon… the Surgeon of Death, perhaps? Wouldn't that be interesting, Rose, if he agreed to help you? Do you think he can give you back your memory? You signed yourself away the moment you set foot on my ship, little girl. You are my property," the Monarch concluded as she slammed the notebook shut, "and I am not going to give you away."

With Rose's notebook still in her hand, Daisy exited the room and locked it behind her. A familiar, blue-haired young woman with a blank expression was waiting outside.

"Begonia, take this to my room and leave it somewhere _visible_. And see if Relic has finished his adjustments to my quarters on the ship. Remember, no one is to be allowed on or off it once he's finished. Please remind him of that as well."

"Yes, Mother," said Begonia.

Daisy frowned. She pressed her thumb to the servant's forehead. A shock of blue light rippled through Begonia's body.

"I thought I instructed you never to call me that. You do not remember your parents. You know only your life at the Order. You live and die to serve the Monarch," said Daisy.

"Yes, my lady," Begonia replied.

"Do you recall your orders?"

"I will leave this book in the room at the top of the eighth floor staircase, in a place that is highly visible. I will journey to the docking cavern to speak with Relic on the status of the _Masked Maiden_. Everyone, including Relic, is to be reminded that they are not allowed in the docking cavern after he leaves, upon pain of death, until further notice from the Monarch."

"Very good. You may go now," Daisy said, and Begonia departed mechanically for the upper floors of the castle.

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya, I could'a done worse," Rose slurred. Law had her tucked under one arm and was dragging her out of the bar.

"I said it wouldn't hurt our cover to order some drinks," he scoffed. "I _didn't_ say you should get completely hammered and start a fight in the middle of the bar."

Rose laughed. "I smashed those two guys' heads together like a couple'a bricks!"

"You sure did! We're lucky that with all the commotion, no one is going to see us sneak off right now!"

"Hey," said Rose, suddenly solemn, "we didn't pay our bill."

"Oh, piss off!" Law yelled. He dropped her on the ground, where she remained seated, knees splayed. "If you want to be a smart-aleck, you can walk back to the ship yourself."

"She's beautiful," said Rose, not paying attention.

"What do you–"

"The ship, Captain, she's beautiful. Bright yellow and sunny orange, I love those colors. I could see 'em in my dreams."

"Boy, your South Blue accent really comes out when you've been drinking, doesn't it?"

Rose frowned. "I don't know nothin' about South Blue."

"Sorry." Law offered her a hand. Rose grabbed it and pulled herself back to her feet.

* * *

"Rose!" Ross shouted, his voice echoing down the corridors of the submarine. "Y-you're back!"

Her eyes were heavy and her head felt fuzzy from drink, but the sound of her brother's voice woke Rose right up.

"Ross!" She got up and ran right into him, knocking them both to the ground.

"Your sister is a little… intoxicated," Law said to the pile of flailing limbs on the floor in front of him.

"When were you drinking?" Ross asked. He grabbed Rose by the sides of her face and looked right into her wide pupils. "O-oh m-my goodness. She's drunk, alright. Rose, are you okay?"

"Fine." Rose smiled. "'Specially now that you're here." She leaned into her brother for a hug, and promptly fell asleep.

"If you want to put her to bed, she can–" Law started, but Ross interrupted.

"She can sleep in my hammock for now. Y-you probably want to talk to me, d-don't you, Captain?"

* * *

With Rose safely tucked into Ross's hammock in the crew's sleeping quarters, Ross, Law, and Bepo gathered in the cockpit of the submarine.

"Did something go wrong?" asked Ross. "I wasn't expecting t-to pick her up… like this…"

Law sighed. "Your sister is not exactly the suave information broker we imagined her to be. She got caught hiding information from her boss, and had to make a run for it. So essentially, we're starting from zero."

"You mean, Rose couldn't get any information on the Monarch?" asked Bepo.

"Right," said Law, "and–"

"I'm sure she knows something that can help us!" Ross blurted out. "I-I mean... She might not have been able to get any _extra_ information, b-but she has to know a thing or two, right?"

"You're right, Ross. She already gave away the Monarch's first name – Daisy. And she knows what island we're heading for, possibly even the coordinates. There might be more we can work out if we get Rose to talk about her life a little bit. So here's the plan." Law looked at Bepo. "We need to leave this island as soon as possible."

Bepo blinked. "But why, Captain? I mean, everyone's on board now, but this is a little unexpected."

"Rose started a bar fight, and I don't want to be around when they figure out we're responsible."

Ross and Bepo stared at Law, agape.

"Oh, yeah," the captain continued, "and we didn't pay our tab. Guess we'd better head for the next island. We can talk to Rose and make our plans when we get there."


	3. Memories

Rose awoke to a pounding headache. She tried to sit up, as if in bed; however, as she had slept in a hammock, her movement caused her to tumble out. This series of events resulted in Ross entering the sleeping quarters to find his sister curled up on the floor, shouting expletives.

"R-rose?"

"Shi– ah… good morning. I have a horrible headache. And I guess this is where you guys sleep on the submarine?" Rose's voice was strained.

"Well, f-firstly, it's no longer morning, b-but one in the afternoon," Ross explained, "and t-to answer your question, yes. You've been sleeping in my hammock. I-I slept in the study. I'll give you a tour of the Polar Tang l-later, probably. But more importantly, everyone's been w-waiting for you to wake up! We're holding a m-meeting, to discuss what to do… with you."

"Oh, boy," muttered Rose. "Then I guess I'd better not ask where I can take a shower."

"L-later! Right now, come into the kitchen a-and sit with everyone. You have a lot of explaining to do." Ross sighed. "N-not that I'm scolding you for anything!" he added, blushing a little at his own tone of voice.

* * *

In the kitchen, the long, iron dining table was fully seated; its accompanying benches were lined with Heart Pirates, all dressed in white boiler suits bearing the ship's Jolly Roger. Law sat at the head of the table, and at his right sat Bepo, whose boiler suit was a contrasting bright orange. Ross led Rose in, and promptly took a seat at the end of a bench. He gestured for Rose to sit across from him, but she sat at the other head of the table, opposite of Law.

"A bold move for a woman who's late to a meeting that's literally about her," Law scoffed. "Welcome back to consciousness, Rose."

"Thanks, Captain. Nice day to be falling out of a hammock because you didn't know where you were when you woke up. Now, are we going to spend the whole meeting making fun of me, or is someone going to fill me in on what we're really discussing?"

Law rolled his eyes, but he couldn't think of anything clever to say back to the informant. Nor did he want to delay the true purpose of the meeting any longer.

"I've informed the rest of the crew about our… misadventure on the last island," Law explained. "Ross and I have also done the best we can to piece together what we know about you."

"Oh, yeah? What do you think you know?" Rose leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands and her elbows on the table.

All of a sudden, a loud, low grumble rolled through the room.

"Sorry." Rose pulled her arms back off the table to clutch her stomach. "I guess I'm hungry."

"Lunch time?" asked Penguin, looking around at his crew mates.

"Lunch time!" the Heart Pirates shouted in unison. Law let out an extended sigh.

* * *

Once the table had been cleared again, and the scent of cod stew had begun to dissipate, the meeting resumed—with the Heart Pirates now full, and full of energy.

"So, Ross, are you telling me you told everyone about my childhood while I was sleeping?" Rose began to scowl, but as she saw the tears welling up in the corners of Ross's eyes, her expression immediately softened.

"I… h-hadn't got that far yet. I know you don't remember everything–"

"I don't remember _anything_!" Rose exclaimed. "That's the problem, everyone, and that's why I'm here. The captain probably told you we're gonna be hunting a woman named Daisy. She stole my memories, and the memories of lots of other people, and I'm trying to make sure she can't do that ever again."

"That sounds scary," said Bepo. "I don't know what I'd do if I forgot my childhood. I grew up on a special island that I would never be able to find again!"

"I agree," added Penguin. "I'd forget all my favourite recipes! And my dad's amazing cooking!"

"I'd forget my incredibly beautiful babysitter! And the hot lady who lived next door!" Shachi grinned at his own memories.

The rest of the crew laughed at him.

"Hey! I'm serious!" he insisted, with a melodramatic frown.

Ross spoke up again. "Rose. If you d-don't mind sharing with these guys, I'll t-tell you about w-where we grew up. And w-what I remember happening to you."

Rose nodded, and a hush fell over the room as Ross began the tale.

* * *

"There's a new ship in the harbour!" River Rose, age seven, shouted as she burst through the front door of her family's cottage.

"Rose. I'm reading!"

"Sorry, Ross, but this one's huge! You just gotta come and see. I really wanna know who's on board…"

From inside the kitchen around the corner, the siblings' mother peered into the front room with a protective eye. River Ifara was drying the last of the dishes from breakfast. She wiped her hands on her apron, and then came out to meet her children.

"Is that where you ran off to in such a hurry? What have I told you 'bout playing in the harbour, Rose?"

"I wasn't playing, Mama. I just ran down to see if there was any new ships, is all–"

"I know all about your hobby, missy! Your daddy ain't on this boat, or any boat coming into the harbour, though."

Rose bit her lip. "How'd you figure I was looking for pa, anyway?! Maybe I just like the ships, just like him!"

"Oh, is that it? Well, if you're just gonna look at 'em, that's fine. Take care of your brother if you're taking him with you. And don't bother the sailors none, you hear?"

"Yes, mama."

Rose came closer and hugged her mother around her thick waist. Ross had put his book away, and stood beside his sister now. For a moment, Ifara couldn't help but see her children's resemblance to their father: their hair, sleeker than her curls; their skin, neither dark like hers nor light like their father's. Ross had her brown eyes, but Rose's eyes were a dark, watery blue, like Ivan's.

If one of her children would turn out like Ivan, it would definitely be their daughter, Ifara thought. She shooed the twins out the door and watched them make their way down to Ivory Bay's docks.

"You really _are_ still looking for Pa, aren't you, Rose?" Ross asked as they walked.

"Shut up. Unlike you and Mama, I ain't so willing to believe a fearsome pirate like him would just die out there at sea. I don't care what that letter the Marines sent to Mama says."

"It's a verified letter, Rose. It's signed by an admiral and everything!"

"I don't care! I don't believe it! Even if he is dead – and that's _if –_ there's still something they're not telling us."

"Well, maybe if he hadn't been a pirate…"

"Don't you _dare_!" Rose spun on her heels and glared at her brother. "Don't you dare say he deserved it. You loved him too! He was our pa!"

Ross hung his head. "I'm sorry. It's just that I agree with Mama, Rose. I'm worried about you!"

"Well, don't be worried." Rose smacked her brother gently on the back. "C'mon, we've got ships to admire!"

* * *

"Wow," Ross said, his jaw slack at the sight of the great black warship docked in the harbour. "That sure is a big ship."

"You bet your buttons! That's a third-rate ship of the line!"

"Is that what it's called? You know a lot about this stuff, Rose."

"Pa taught me a bit. You just count the number of guns, and I counted this morning…"

"Look out!" an unfamiliar voice called out. The twins moved out of the way, just as two figures passed by, carrying a large, heavy-looking trunk. They were dressed all in black, with masks across their eyes.

"Rose! We're too close. It looks like they're restocking the ship's supplies. We'd better stay back."

The harbour in Ivory Bay was located downhill from the settlement, so Ross and Rose moved back uphill, where they could have a clear view of the ships while keeping away from the docks. Many ships from all over the world docked in Ivory Bay, for the South Blue was uniquely known for its crystal-clear waters, its clean, grassy hills, and its soft soil that yielded excellent crops.

The folks that lived in the settlement there were a friendly sort. They welcomed all—pirates, Marines, or otherwise—as long as they promised to trade honestly and politely with the civilians. After a rough voyage at sea, many sailors sought refuge in the Bay, and were rewarded with great hospitality and good food.

Living in Ivory Bay, one could meet a lot of different people without ever leaving home. So, it was no surprise to the friends and family of the local seamstress River Ifara when she took a pirate for a lover. They simply didn't know how notorious a man he was on the outside waters, nor did they care. Later, when she gave birth to twins—clearly fathered by said pirate—everyone was sure that the man would do the decent thing and return every once in a while to visit his family.

Despite his rough lifestyle and his hundred-million-Beli bounty, Ivan the Fierce did just that—for six years straight. But one day, Ifara received a knock on her door, and opened it to find not the twins' father, but a man in uniform. He carried a message: Ivan the Fierce had been charged for his crime of piracy, and had died at sea in a quarrel with the Marines.

In time, Ifara began to recover from her loss. After all, she had her children to distract her, and her sewing business had always put food on the table. But her eldest child refused to accept her father's death, tearing a rift in the River family in the process. Since then, everyone had been looking out for Rose.

Rose, meanwhile, had been watching the harbour, and the waters on its horizon. Every morning, right after she sat down for breakfast (at Ifara's insistence,) Rose would take off. She raced through the settlement, ran down the hill to the harbour, and saw which ships had come and gone while she slept. Visiting sailors would give reports of a young girl, no older than ten, who would converse with those sailors left behind to stock or guard their ships.

On her own, Rose explored as much as she could, always on the lookout for hints about her father. But if Ross came along, she would play it safe. After all, she didn't want her mother to find out just how nosy she really was.

"Been a long time since I've seen a black ship. It even has black sails!" Rose's eyes never left the ship of the line.

"I don't think I've ever seen a black ship. But then, I guess they must be meant for sailing at night, so…"

"Y'think that's it, Ross? I never thought about that. Pa's ship was made of dark wood, too–"

"Not the same thing, Rose. Pa's ship had white sails. I'm sure he sailed mostly during the day, like everyone else. I think this ship is something special."

The twins sat on the hill, silently admiring the black ship and the strangely uniformed people who appeared to be stocking it. Every sailor who came and went wore the same black dress and masquerade-style eye-covering, just like the two whom Ross and Rose had nearly run into on the docks.

"It looks like that crew might be all women," Rose mumbled after a while. "Unless everyone just has to wear a skirt, but I swear…"

"There's one man down there, guarding the ship. Other than that, you're right, Rose. I'm not too sure. Are they pirates, d'you think?"

"When you said they'd sail at night, I changed my mind about that," Rose admitted. "Y'see, pirates would sail when they can see other ships to pillage, right?"

"If they're the pillaging type, yeah."

"But, well, I think these guys are something else. Shady ship, shady uniforms, group of nimble-looking, unarmed folks for crew, probably mostly women…"

"They're spies!" Ross declared.

"Something like that. But I know how we can find out!"

Rose stood up, brushing the grass and dirt from her pants. Ross followed suit, uncertain of his sister's plan. The two of them made their way back up the hill and into the Ivory Bay Settlement. Rather than returning home, Rose walked right past the pink facade of the River house.

"Where are you going?!" Ross shouted after her. He had stopped short at their front door.

" _Shh_!" Rose raised a finger to her lips, beckoning with her other hand for Ross to follow.

* * *

Once again, Ross found himself stopped outside of a familiar building. This time, he put a hand to his head in dismay as he looked up at the sign that hung over the building's front door.

 _Salmon Ella's_ , it read, in a flourishing gold script that was showing signs of weather damage. The image of a winking salmon wearing lipstick and pearls was painted below.

"Really, Rose?"

"Really! You don't know nothing, Ross. Ella's a great lady, knows all sorts o' stories. And if any of those masked folks came into town for a drink, I'm sure she would'a seen 'em here. This is the best place to go!"

"You wouldn't know that. Ella only gives you juice. And she's only nice to you because you're a kid."

"Shut up, Ross. I told you, you don't know nothing!"

With that, Rose pushed through the double doors leading into Salmon Ella's pub. The bells over the door jingled through the empty room as Ross reluctantly followed his sister inside.

Rose seated herself at the middle of the bar. Behind the counter, a tall blonde woman with copious freckles was polishing some glassware.

"Well, hello there, little miss Rose. Come for some juice?" Ella smiled. "I see you've brought your little brother along with you this time. How nice."

"Yes, ma'am. We'll have two mango juices, please, and any information you can give us about the black ship that docked here last night."

"Rose!" Ross whined.

"Nothin' wrong with being upfront about what you want, darlin'." Ella turned to Ross and gave a soft, kind smile.

Ross blushed. "Alright, I guess I will take that mango juice." He climbed onto the stool next to his sister.

"Now, miss Rose, friends don't charge friends for chitchat and juice. But I will tell you, in this life, not all information is available for free…"

"Do I have to pay you to tell me about the black ship?"

Ella chuckled. "No, darlin'. I was just about to explain what I meant. Y'see, there's some people in this world who make a living trading information."

"Like spies!" Ross interrupted.

"Sort of like spies," Ella continued. "In the case of those folks in the harbour, though, I'm talkin' about information brokers. They collect secrets, and then they trade those secrets for other things. Like money, or services, or more secrets. It's a complicated job."

"Makes sense to me." Rose paused, punctuating her comment with a sip of mango juice. "They sail at night on a black ship, so they can go unseen. Then, they can follow other ships, or sneak around and steal information."

"Right you are, darlin'. You sure are a smart one for your age."

Ross scowled a little at the high praise given to his sister, who was about as studious as a brick. But when Ella noticed his scowl and smiled at him again, he found he couldn't help but smile back.

"You look out for your big sister, Ross. She's a treasure, and you're lucky to have her."

"H-how d'you know my name, anyway, miss Ella?"

"Oh, well, of course she talks about you all the time!" Ella gestured at Rose, who wore a wide grin, cheek-to-cheek.

"I bet it's just to complain!"

"Well, I do call you a bookworm sometimes."

"Rose!"

The twins leaned across the bar, smacking at each other's heads. Ella swiftly gathered the empty juice glasses and stashed them out of harm's way.

"Now, now, children. You got what you came for, didn't you? Why don't you go on home to your mama, before you get into trouble for hanging around here!"

"Yes, miss Ella," the twins replied in unison.

Ella watched as they ran out the door. She looked at the clock and sighed with relief, wiping a bead of sweat off her brow. It was just past eleven in the morning– opening time. With a spare cloth, she began tidying up the counter for the first customers of the day.

* * *

"Information brokers—can you believe it?" Rose asked, skipping along on the way home.

"You were right, it makes sense." Ross frowned. "Don't sound so excited, though."

"Well, what's not to be excited about? I mean, now's our chance!"

Ross stopped short. "Our chance for what, Rose?"

Rose, seeing that her brother had fallen behind, backtracked. "It's our chance to find out what really happened to Pa!"

"I knew you were gonna say that!" Ross sighed, exasperated.

"You're gonna tell me not to ask them!"

"Of course I am! First of all, it's probably dangerous to talk to them – we're just kids! And second of all, you heard miss Ella. Information brokers will want to trade with us for that information. We don't have any money!"

"I'm gonna ask Mama," Rose murmured.

"You're _what_? She'll never let you!"

But when Ross and Rose arrived at home and found their mother in her sewing room, Ross was alone in his worries.

"I see. So you think they might sell you the truth, hmm?" Ifara asked.

"Yes, Mama. I know you got that letter, and you believe it. But I just don't. I just wanna make sure…"

"Well, that's fine. If it'll ease your mind…" Ifara reached out and pulled her daughter in for a kiss on the temple. "I'll give you five hundred Beli. Don't waste it – if they ask you for a price, you start lower than that, y'hear?"

"Yes, Mama." A grin spread across Rose's face, her cheeks aglow.

"And you're not to go looking for these people after dark, understand? Do your business in the daytime! It don't have to be no secret what information you're buying. I ain't ashamed."

"Yes, Mama. I'll go back to the docks right now!"

"Then I'll get you your money. Ross, stay here this time, and keep your mother company."

* * *

Only an hour later, Rose trudged back through the front door of the house, dripping wet.

"Rose!" Ross came running to the door.

"Don't. Touch. Me."

"What on earth happened?"

Instead of answering, Rose burst into tears. Ifara came running at the sound, and wrapped Rose in a towel and a tight embrace.

"Did they not know anything, darling? Or did they tell you it's just as the letter says? Oh, Rose…"

"It's worse, Mama…" Rose sniffled. "They know what happened, and they won't tell me. They said 'there's no way a kid could have enough to pay for that information!'"

Ifara's embrace loosened. "It wasn't enough money?"

"Mama, no! Don't worry about what Rose is saying!" Ross jumped in. "They probably didn't want to sell information to a kid! Five hundred Beli is loads of money."

Ifara looked down at the crying child in her arms, then up at the round, worried face of the one who was reasoning with her. _What on earth am I supposed to tell these children?_ she thought. But she said nothing—only stroked Rose's hair with one hand, and opened her arms for Ross to join the hug.

* * *

"My lady." Relic bowed curtly as he entered the captain's quarters of the great black warship, the Masked Maiden. "I have some… interesting news to report."

A much younger-looking Daisy was seated, looking out at the harbour from the stern window. She turned to face Relic as he spoke. "Of course, butterfly. Tell me what you've heard."

"I hope you'll believe what I'm about to say, because I know it will seem quite ridiculous. But a child just attempted to buy information from me."

"A child?"

"A little girl, perhaps seven or eight years of age. She came to the harbour alone. I had seen her here before with another child, looking at the ships. However, this time, she approached me directly, and simply asked whether I sold information and if she could buy some."

"How peculiar! And what did she want? Did you sell her anything?"

"That is the most interesting part, my lady. She most certainly could not afford the information she requested. In fact, even if she had been dressed in the finest clothes and carried a purse full of money, I am not sure I would have made the sale."

"Answer my question, Relic."

"I am so sorry, my lady. She wanted to know what happened to the pirate known as Ivan the Fierce."

Daisy stood up.

"What did she look like?"

Relic fidgeted with his hands, and pulled at his long, black ponytail. "She was small, with light brown skin and dark blue hair. When she ran at me, before I pushed her into the water, I saw her eyes as well. They were dark blue."

"You pushed her into the harbour?" Daisy laughed.

"Monarch, forgive me, but when I told her I could not tell her what she wanted to know, she looked ready to fight me to the death! I responded without thinking. I saw her climb out of the water on another dock, however."

"My, my. What a strange morning you've had, Relic. Thank you for the report. Oh, and if that girl comes by again, please bring her up to see me."

"To see you, my lady? Whatever for?"

"Why, to recruit her, of course! She sounds very… interesting."

* * *

Ross had been tucked into bed for almost an hour, but he found he could not fall asleep, tossing and turning. Rose, meanwhile, seemed to be sleeping like a log. She had gone to bed right at bedtime without complaint, which was an unusual feat in and of itself. But she had had a rough day, and Ross had even heard her cry a little, before falling completely… silent?

"Rose?" Ross whispered. "Rose, are you okay? You're not snoring, so I know you're not asleep. If you want, you can come sleep in my bed…"

There was no response.

"Rose, I know it's been tough for you to accept what happened to Pa, but we need you to, you know. We're all family. I loved him, and Mama loved him, but we love you just as much. Can't you see we're not trying to get you to forget about him? We just don't want to see you feeling so sad!"

Again, his sister did not answer.

Ross got up and crept across the room to where his sister slept. The blankets were bunched up high around the pillow.

"Please don't ignore me, Rose!" Ross leaned over and hugged the figure of Rose beneath the covers, only to find it unusually… soft. He pulled back the sheets to find a pile of Rose's clothes.

Ross's eyes went wide. He put a hand to his mouth to stifle his shout of surprise.

"Darn it, Rose!" Ross cursed under his breath, as much as a seven-year-old knew how. He began dressing for the night's journey in his warmest clothes.

* * *

Ross closed the door behind him as softly as he could manage, but he still flinched at the sound. _How did Rose do it? If she could manage,_ he thought, _surely I can handle sneaking out just this once. Mama won't be mad, not when she learns I only went out to get Rose to come back._ But for all his mental preparation, he still felt his knees weakening with every step he took away from the house.

When Ross came to the hill leading down to the harbour, he kept off the path to avoid any adults who might question him, concerned about the late hour. _I just need to find her. She wouldn't have gone far. I'll just find her and bring her home. We can argue about it in the morning._

As he approached the bottom of the hill, he kept his eyes glued to the black ship, which was now lit around the outside with a beautiful array of oil lamps encased in strange-looking orbs. Ross slowed down even more, watching for any sign of Rose. Then, in the shadows at the far end of the ship, where there were no lights lit, he saw something move.

* * *

Rose was clinging to the side of the ship as best she could, her small hands gripping the decadent embellishments on the stern. The carved shapes of ivy and butterflies became footholds to climb upon. She felt herself holding her breath as she ascended, but forced herself to breathe out slowly. Her goal was far too important to be caught over a silly mistake.

She watched carefully for signs of movement above her, and everything was going well until she was only steps away from the top. When she looked back for one last check at the front of the ship, she saw a familiar figure, tiny but filled out by layers of clothing, hesitating at the edge of the dock.

Her eyes widened with revelation as the figure took a step closer and gestured for her to come down.

Rose shook her head. _Ross, no! Look how far I've come! I ain't stopping here, there's no turning back!_ And with that thought, she boosted herself over the side of the ship. Fortunately, the deck was empty, and Rose hid herself in the shadows to decide her next move.

* * *

Ross's eyes bulged as he saw Rose climb aboard the ship. Without thinking, he ran along the dock to the rear of the ship, where she had scaled the side. There, he collapsed to his knees and broke out sobbing, muffling the sound in the collars of his many shirts. He could hear the quiet sounds of someone moving on the other side of the ship's wall.

Now, Ross could only pray that Rose would not get caught, or that whoever did catch her was a benevolent overseer—and not as vicious as whomever had thrown her in the bay.

* * *

Rose felt her way along the steps, down into the ship's hull. Being at the stern end of the ship, she expected to find the captain's quarters; her pa had once told her where they were usually found. And just to Rose's luck, around a corner at the bottom of the stairs, there was a great door. It was decorated beautifully with carved ivy and butterflies, just like the ones she had climbed on.

She took a deep breath and walked in.

Like the deck, the captain's quarters were also empty. _Is everyone in town? Did they go for drinks together? It's awful quiet, and the only guard I saw was that one same man on the docks…_ but after that, Rose thought no more of it. She decided to look for what she came for, and leave as quickly as possible. There was no time for questioning her luck.

Looking around, Rose saw the entire room was painted black. The captain must have been someone fond of dark and elegant furniture; there were clawed feet, detailed sculpture, and rich fabrics everywhere. Rose also noticed the heavy chest that had carried in that morning. She tried to pry it open, but it was locked tight.

Near the chest was a shelf stuffed with books. Some were thick and had fanciful bindings; others were small and thin, their spines barely legible. Rose inspected the titles one by one.

_The Islands in the Sky. Impel Down Prisoners. The Life of Gol D. Roger._

_Gold Roger?_ Rose thought. _He was the pirate king! There are books here about pirates! There must be a book here about my pa._ Rose browsed the titles, repeating words in her head she didn't fully understand. She became so absorbed in the activity, she didn't even notice when another person entered the captain's quarters. Without the sound of the door slamming shut, Rose never would have even looked up.

* * *

The sound of the door slamming was audible even outside the ship. Ross jumped to his feet. _Now she's done it_ , he thought. _She's been caught and she's on the run. I might have to catch her if she jumps. Or maybe she'll jump into the water?_

At that thought, Ross ran to the stern of the ship and looked around. What he saw was not anyone looking to jump into the water: there was a woman in the information brokers' black uniform, and she was raising the ship's anchor!

"Wait!" Ross yelled. "Stop! You can't leave right now! There's someone from the island on board that ship!"

The woman turned to look directly at him. She smiled, a terrifying grin, and continued to raise the anchor.

Ross bolted around to the front of the ship, and saw that the man who had been standing guard was now untying the knots that held the ship to the dock. Cautiously, Ross approached– but as he did so, the man swiftly cut the last of the ropes, and used one to swing over to the ship and climb aboard.

"Rose!" Ross shouted into the night, his voice shrill with desperation. "Rose, please come back!"

But the only thing Ross heard next was a deafening scream.

* * *

"That's all I know." Ross folded his hands on the table. "The ship was too b-big, and it got far away from the dock v-very quickly. By the time I could collect myself, it was b-barely a silhouette on the horizon. We got some local fishermen to take boats out the very next morning, but there was no sign of the information brokers, and n-no clues about which direction they had gone."

Silence filled the kitchen. Some of the Heart Pirates removed their hats.

"That's why I thought m-maybe… you were dead," Ross continued. "The last thing I heard was screaming, and we never saw or heard from you again, you know? I'm sorry, Rose. I b-bet it probably feels like we gave up on you, but I promise we didn't. Mom's s-still waiting to hear about you. There was no letter this time."

"Sounds like she really likes letters, our mother." Rose laughed through her tears. "Maybe we should write her one. Only this time, it'll be good news, right?"

"Are you all going to sit here and cry all day, or are we going to make plans to fight Daisy?" Law finally spoke up.

"Uh, captain," Bepo said, "you're crying too."

Law shook his head, and blinked the wetness away before any of the Heart Pirates could confirm what the bear had said.


	4. Empathy

"My side of the story isn't as interesting as Ross's," Rose began. "I don't remember too much; just missions here and there, and some basic facts about myself. I remember how old I am, but not my birthday, for example. I remember how to get back to Cocoon Island, but not how I got there in the first place. I know that I hate Daisy for a lot of reasons, but I only remember her devil fruit powers. And these." She held her hands up with palms out, so the crew could see the deep scars they bore—equal on both hands. "I don't remember how I got them."

"August 28th," Ross mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Our b-birthday. It's August 28th. We're 22 years old."

"Thank you, Ross; I'm sure you can catch Rose up on all the details, but can we do it later?" Law interrupted. The rest of the Heart Pirates nodded.

Rose laughed. "Had enough storytelling for one day?"

The crew nodded once again.

"Like I was saying, I know how to get where we're going. I'll spare you the dramatics, but when I left, I left a lot behind. I guess because of that, Daisy thinks I'm coming back and is preparing for that scenario. I'm not sure if she suspects I'm going to bring you all with me."

"So you think we might have a chance to surprise her?" Law asked.

"At the very least, we can hold off whatever other members of the order are on the island. Everyone will be in the same place, anyway."

"Why is that?" A puzzled look spread across Law's face.

"Cocoon Island is a dangerous place. There's only one area where people can risk living. Anywhere else, between the deadly plants and the terrifying wildlife, the Order would never have survived. Everyone in the Order lives in the House of the Monarch. It's a huge castle at the top of a hill, and only agents of the Order have the training to get to it. I'll have to lead you in."

"If they're expecting you, then a surprise attack is off the table."

"That's why I said we might be able to hold off whoever else is there. If they don't have orders from Daisy to stay back, they'll come after us as soon as we land. Most of you can distract them on the beach, and you won't even have to risk climbing up to the castle."

"And what about those of us going in after Daisy?"

Rose paused for a moment, rubbing her chin with a free hand. "We could choose an infiltration team. I want to fight Daisy myself, obviously. So I only want backup, and maybe…"

"M-maybe what? You look like you just had a great idea!" Ross interrupted.

"I was thinking that we could steal some of Daisy's records. There's a lot of valuable information in the House of the Monarch. If we're going in for a dangerous mission, we might as well go all the way, right?"

"I couldn't agree more, Rose." A scary grin spread across Law's face.

* * *

Law paced back and forth across the captain's quarters, flipping through the pages of a familiar slim volume as he walked. A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in."

Rose entered the room cautiously. "You don't even clean up when you know you're having a guest?"

Law scoffed. "What are appearances to a crew of pirates? It's just some laundry and some of my reading."

"Sorry," Rose laughed. "I guess it's just not what I expected from a man as… picky as yourself."

"Picky?"

"Remember how much you criticized me when I showed up this time?" Rose impersonated Law's tone. "' _Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?' 'When was the last time you had a shower?_ '"

Law just shook his head.

"Anyway," Rose continued, "why did you suddenly want to speak to me in private? You called an end to that meeting pretty quickly after I suggested we split the crew into teams."

"I could tell everyone was getting tired of talking. Besides, I'm the captain; I'll make the plans myself and explain things to the rest of the crew later. I need you here to help me with the details, that's all."

"Alright... And why are you holding that book?"

Law scowled. "Comfort habit. I've been reading her notes a lot since you gave this to me."

The room fell silent for a moment. Then Rose walked across and sat herself in Law's desk chair. Law continued to pace around the room.

"I know what it's like to have everything taken from you," he said out of the blue.

"I know," Rose replied. "I had to read that book before I met you. You've lost a lot more than I have. And unlike me, you won't get a chance to get it back."

Law ceased his pacing and set the book on Flevance down on his desk. He leaned over Rose and looked into her eyes.

"If you're going to pity me, stop right now. I didn't invite you to join my crew so you could feel bad for me."

"Oh, and I guess your agreeing to help me had nothing to do with pity?"

Law rolled his eyes and stepped away. "The word I would use is 'empathy', Rose," he said from across the room. "I relate to your struggle. An unexpected person once helped me out when I needed it. Unfortunately, my benefactor was killed for what he did for me."

"I'm sorry." Rose stared down at the desk.

"I don't intend to die just so you can get your memories back. But I _am_ willing to risk my life for members of my crew. Do you understand? I stand to benefit a lot from having you and Ross on my side. It's possible that I could gain even more by stealing information from Daisy.

"I started this mission because I care about your brother, a member of my crew, and because I can relate to your struggle. I'm following through because there's something in it for me. No pity involved," Law finished.

"Well, now that _that's_ all cleared up," Rose said sarcastically, "you should know I gave the coordinates of Cocoon Island to Bepo as instructed. Why don't we start planning what we'll do when we get there?"

* * *

"Are you sure, my lady?" Relic asked. "You don't want to call off the current missions and call all the agents back?"

"We'll make do with what we have," Daisy replied. She was fastening a necklace with a large golden spike pendant around her neck. The pendant swung slowly and finally settled against Daisy's stomach. Its edge glimmered in the light, as though the spike had been sharpened for use as a weapon.

"There are fewer than ten agents on the island, including myself. There is also Begonia, whatever help she may be, but you've already said she cannot leave the house. With you hidden away down here in the docking cavern, that leaves the house quite defenceless, if all the Heart Pirates come here as you've predicted."

"Hmm." Daisy seated herself in the chair behind her desk and surveyed the rest of her cabin on the Masked Maiden. Not much had changed in 15 years, except the fillings in the wall that marked the place where…

"My lady? Please, may I ask what you're planning?"

Daisy sighed. "My apologies, Relic. I understand your worries! But have you considered the bigger picture?"

"Of course, of course! There are approximately 16 Heart Pirates, if you include Rose, and nine of us, including yourself and Begonia."

"Very good."

"The Heart Pirates will be led here by Rose, so they will land on the beach… because… um…"

"Because Rose will tell them to land on the beach. Why do you think that is?"

"I'm not sure, my lady. It seems foolish. We will see them coming, because the beach is always monitored. Does Agent Swallowtail believe that the Heart Pirates would not be able to pass through the jungle or into the docking bay?"

"The jungle is a formidable obstacle, and the docking bay's entrance can be perilous because of all the rocks. However, the answer is far simpler than that, Relic."

"Forgive me; I do not understand."

"She wants to be seen. She wants the agents to meet them on the beach, where she believes they will stand a fairer chance. Because Rose isn't a fool. She knows that our agents are trained in martial arts, and that the skills of one are worth two or three pirates', at least."

* * *

"At best, Daisy will believe that I'm using the Heart Pirates as decoys to fight the agents, and that I'll sneak in to come after her alone. If that's the case, she'll still send the agents to the beach. She wants to fight me by herself."

"And at worst?" asked Law.

"The worst-case scenario is if no one comes to the beach. Then we have to fight a team of agents, trained in espionage, inside a confined space—just to be able to get to Daisy. It'd be incredibly risky for us to follow the plan to split up. People will have to make sacrifices for us to get to Daisy's room."

"Wait, are you implying you are trained in espionage?"

"Don't look at me like that!" Rose frowned. "Just because I haven't shown you that side of me doesn't mean it doesn't exist!"

Law smirked. "So what's the deal, then?"

"I'll lead a team to go after Daisy. You lead a team to retrieve information from the library. That's all we need to decide on for now; I'll explain the layout of the castle when we talk to the crew. There are sixteen of us. We have to leave at least ten people on the beach to guard the ship and distract the agents."

"You think there will only be ten agents?"

"Less than that, if we're lucky. Daisy won't consider us enough of a threat to call back the entire Order. Also, she knows she doesn't have the time for that."

"That leaves two groups of three, unless you were planning to split up unevenly…" Law pondered.

"No, that's perfect. I'll take the two members who are best at medicine. You should take the strongest fighters."

"Shouldn't you be taking the fighters?"

"I'm not letting them get in the way of my fight. I only want backup in case I'm injured, or…" Rose shuddered. "Or I lose my memories again."

"In that case, take Ross and Penguin. I'll take Bepo and Shachi. Everyone else stays on the beach. But can we all make it through to the castle?"

"The six of us will start on the beach, but we're going to take a detour through the jungle to hide our motive."

"I thought you said the jungle was deadly. Shouldn't we be avoiding it?"

"I did say that, and I haven't changed my opinion. But that's why we're taking the best of the best with us. I hope you're ready for a challenge."

Law grinned. His smile was unsettling as usual, but Rose felt confident when he said: "Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

Two days later, the submarine rose above the water off the coast of Cocoon Island. The Heart Pirates gathered on the main deck to admire the scenery from afar. Even at a distance, the spires of the House of the Monarch gave an eerie warning to those approaching. The lush green jungle was unreadable. The beach where the pirates intended to make their landing was empty. A gentle breeze blew out at sea, brushing Rose's bangs across her face as she addressed her new comrades.

"Before we land, I should thank you all for joining me. I'm not going to claim to be a proper crew member yet. You're risking your lives for a stranger. I admire that. And when we all come out of this, the world will be a better place for the risks we dared to take. I will become a member of this crew worth sticking your necks out for, I promise."

"Isn't the captain the one who's supposed to be giving the inspirational speech?" Bepo asked.

"Er... I wasn't really trying to–"

"Yeah," Shachi agreed. "I mean, nice sentiment and all, Rose, but we want to hear from the captain!"

" _Captain! Captain!_ " the crew began to shout.

"Fine, fine," Law spoke up. He gestured for Rose to step away, and took her place in front of the Heart Pirates. "I made the decision to do this, so I'll take responsibility for it. If you want to believe we're just doing this to help Rose or because Ross wants to, that's your prerogative. But we're pirates. And this place? It's full of treasure. Maybe not treasure like the money and valuables we're used to, but when we come out of that castle, we're going to be some of the smartest men on these seas. The information in there is good as gold. And if we can count on Rose to win her battle, there may be a Devil Fruit waiting for us to take at the end of the day too."

The ship was overwhelmed with the sound of cheering.

"Now, you remember what we discussed, right?"

"Yes, captain!" yelled the Heart Pirates.

"Good. Those of you coming into the castle, meet me in the cockpit with Bepo. The rest of you better arm yourselves – we're landing soon."

Cheers sounded throughout the crew again, and gradually dulled to the clamour of the pirates heading below deck to pick up their weapons.

* * *

The Heart Pirates' submarine dropped anchor next to Cocoon Island's sole beachfront dock. One by one, the pirates filed out on to the sand.

"What now?" one crew member spoke up.

"Now, we wait," Rose said. "Do you see over there?"

She pointed to the cliff side where agents entered and exited the castle. "We wait for the first woman in uniform to show herself, then we charge the cliff. Make sure it looks like you really want to get up there!"

"Aren't they going to be _super strong_ fighters?" asked another crew member.

Law sighed. "According to Rose's intel, they're all going to be unarmed martial artists wearing masks. We are heavily armed pirates with no impairments, and we probably outnumber them."

"Bring it on!" shouted one Heart Pirate.

"Yeah! Come and get us, Order Whatever-the-hell-you-are!"

The crew erupted in another round of cheering, just as Rose spotted a flash at the bottom of the cliff.

" _Here they come!"_

One by one, agents of Order Lepidoptera appeared and rushed forward to meet the pirates.

Rose didn't move. She watched the cliff for any further signs of movement. When she was certain the beach was as full as it was going to get, she gestured for the jungle teams to follow her away from the fight.

"Room!" a familiar voice called.

Rose turned around to see Law joining the tussle with his Devil Fruit.

" _What are you doing?_ " she shouted, over the crunching and clashing of weapons and fists.

"Giving our side a little advantage! Go ahead without me!" Law replied.

Rose shook her head, but she did as instructed. Ross, Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo followed her off of the sand and into the dark paths of the outer jungle.

"Hold your breath," Rose told the others.

"Wha–?" Shachi began to ask, but began to cough before he could finish.

Rose grabbed the hat from his head and pressed the fabric over his mouth and nose. "Breathe in now," she told him. He gasped.

Plugging her own nose, Rose held her breath and ran as she led the others further into the jungle. After almost a minute, she finally exhaled, and the others followed suit.

"What was that?" Penguin asked.

"Poison puffer plants. They absorb the carbon dioxide from your breath and let out puffs of deadly gas. If you breathe it in for more than a minute, you'll pass out. In ten minutes, you could die."

"You w-weren't kidding when you said this jungle was r-risky business!" Ross complained.

Rose shrugged. "Just be glad we haven't run into any animals yet."

"Don't we have to wait for the captain?" Bepo asked. "We should go back. How else will he know where to find us?"

"I'll go back. You three stay here," Rose said. "And whatever you do, don't move. I'll be back in five minutes."

* * *

Rose arrived at the edge of the beach to see Law, still tossing pieces of dissembled Order agents around with his Devil Fruit powers.

" _Hey!_ " Rose yelled, as loudly as she could. Everyone on the beach turned to look at her—those who were still standing, anyway.

"Swallowtail!" an agent shouted.

"Shit," Law cursed under his breath. He sent the torso of one unfortunate agent flying into the agent that had yelled after Rose.

"Keep fighting, everyone!" he called to the rest of the Heart Pirates, before disappearing into the jungle where Rose had stood only moments ago.

She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him further into the bushes.

"You talk about _me_ messing things up–" Rose started.

"If you had been just a little more patient–"

"Are you kidding? I saw your face out there. You were having so much fun tossing around body parts, you might have forgotten the rest of the plan if I hadn't come back!"

"I'm not that irresponsible." Law frowned. "Now please let go of my clothes."

Rose obliged. "Come on. The others are waiting."

* * *

The other members of the castle infiltration team, however, were not waiting. Shachi, Penguin, Bepo, and Ross were sprinting through the jungle, running for their lives in a direction they could only hope led toward the castle. Something loud, heavy, angry, and squealing was chasing them.

"You've g-got to be kidding me!" Ross screamed, tears already streaming down his face. "She left us in a boar's nest?!"

"Your sister is trying to kill us!" Shachi yelled as he looked back.

The giant mother boar was leering down at them, with anger in her beady black eyes. She was as tall as a house, with tusks big enough to crush a man, and it was only thanks to Ross's scaredy-cat reaction speed that the four pirates were getting away from her at all. She was definitely gaining on them.

"Head for the rocks!" Penguin shouted. "Rose mentioned a path in a cliff side that the agents climbed to get to the castle, so if we hit a rock wall, maybe we can feel our way out of the jungle!"

"Hopefully, we can shake off the boar too," Bepo muttered.

The boar squealed again. The pirates mustered as much speed as they could, running straight toward the rocky terrain that they could barely make out in the distance.

* * *

Rose curled her fingers into a tight ball. "I swear, I left them _right here_ and I told them not to move." She slammed her fist into a nearby tree trunk.

"Well, either you're wrong about where you left them, they didn't listen to you, or you've forgotten something." Law rolled his eyes.

"And what did I forget, Mr. Know-It-All?"

"You said this jungle is dangerous. What could have made them move if they didn't want to? Danger."

Rose glanced around for a moment, and then her shoulders slumped. "Oh my god."

"So? Which is it?"

"Look at the way the long grass has been flattened here… I left them waiting in a Cocoon Boar's nest. Let's get out of here, now! If we're lucky, we'll find them before the mother boar kills them!"

* * *

When Rose and Law finally made it to the cliff wall, they found only the unconscious body of the giant boar, one tusk broken, lying at rest beneath an enormous fissure in the rock.

"I don't see any bodies, so I guess they got away," Law commented.

"Well, I hope they were smart enough to head in the right direction," replied Rose.

The two of them headed off along the cliff wall in the direction of the beach. Rose cursed herself internally as they travelled. _How could I have missed such obvious signs? Was I trying to get them killed? Why didn't I remember that boar's nest by the wa–_

Her thoughts were cut off as she walked right into Bepo's back, and bounced backward onto her behind.

"Ugh." Rose rubbed her backside and stood up.

" _Rose!"_ Ross shouted. He ran to embrace her, but she held him off with one arm.

"I'm glad you're alive," she said. "I left you in a pretty terrible spot, I guess."

"You _guess?!"_ exclaimed Shachi and Penguin in unison. "That boar nearly killed us!" Shachi continued.

"If Ross hadn't lured it to run into the wall…" Penguin began.

"You did _what?!"_ Rose turned to look at her brother. He had removed his army-green cap, and was wringing it between his hands.

"Well, we might still have gotten away if I hadn't, but…"

"You idiot," Rose mumbled. She reached out and wrapped an arm around Ross.

After a moment, she withdrew her brief hug. "Alright," she continued, "let's climb this cliff. Captain, you stay on watch and climb up last, since your Devil Fruit powers can keep anyone who sees us away from the cliff for a little while."

"Oh, not because you _trust_ me or anything?" Law asked with a cheeky grin.

Rose ignored him. "Come on, everyone. Get a firm grip on the rock and follow me – step for step, or you might lose your grip. Some of these handholds are traps!"

She began leading the pirates up to the castle, one by one.

* * *

When the six pirates stood at the top of the cliff, they paused to admire the iron-and-bramble gates that guarded the inner territory of Order Lepidoptera.

"Those brambles look sharp," said Shachi.

"That iron looks impassible," said Ross.

"These doors are open," Rose explained, and she pushed on one gate to let the group through. "Don't be intimidated. The hardest part is over now. Everything Daisy's done to the garden is for show… except the butterflies. Those are natural inhabitants and they're poisonous, so don't touch them. But everything else… that's just the Monarch's aesthetic."

A hush fell over the pirates as they travelled through the gates and past the garden. The well-pruned bushes were covered in translucent, dark blue butterflies. There were thousands of them, resting, wings fluttering occasionally. One or two floated across the path in front of the pirates, causing several of the men to hold their breath.

Finally, the Heart Pirates' castle infiltration team made it to the front door of the House of the Monarch. The dark stone facade loomed over them like a gothic cathedral, and yet Rose was unfazed.

"Here is where we part ways," she said. "Penguin and Ross are coming with me, to climb the tower to Daisy's room. The rest of you can go to the library – the third and fourth floor will likely have the most valuable information. When we enter the front hall, just go straight through and climb two sets of stairs. The library will be obvious."

"W-what about us?" Ross asked.

"We're going as high as we can go: to the top of the tower, where the Monarch is waiting to see me. I'll be counting on you to have my back while I fight."

Ross glanced nervously at his captain, but no one else noticed. As the pirates made their way into the castle, Law touched the younger twin's shoulder as he walked by.

* * *

At the entrance to the docking bay, Relic waited silently, arms crossed over his bo staff.

Inside the Masked Maiden, Daisy was reading a book that was triple the size of the volume on Flevance that Rose had stolen. Beside it, on the desk, rested another familiar sight – Rose's notebook.

On the fourth floor of the library, someone else was standing by the windows, with vacant eyes open in the direction of the sea.

Soon, the struggle would begin.


	5. Burning

Law didn't realize he was holding his breath until he let out a sigh of relief as he passed through the heavy wooden doors and into the third floor of the library in the House of the Monarch. No one was inside. He motioned for Bepo and Shachi to follow him in and over to the shelves of books that covered the room.

"Whoa…" Shachi said, in awe of the massiveness of the library.

Law lifted a finger to his lips and glared at his companion.

Shachi swallowed hard and turned away.

The three pirates began to comb the stacks for any titles of interest. Books quickly began to pile up on the floor as they got removed from the shelves for a quick flip-through.

"Captain," Bepo whispered. Law frowned, but the bear mink continued. "You haven't told us what to look for yet…"

Across the aisle, Shachi nodded.

Law sighed again. "What kind of books do you think would be useful for pirates? Notes about treasure, of course, and anything to do with Gol D. Roger's adventures. I'm also interested in books about Mariejois, the World Nobles, and a person called Joker," he whispered.

Bepo and Shachi each gave their captain a thumbs up.

* * *

"R-rose," Ross said, "we're walking up these stairs awfully slowly. I-is there a reason for this?"

Rose's stomach grumbled in response.

"Hungry at a time like this?" Penguin asked.

"As cheesy as it sounds I've got butterflies in my stomach just thinking about meeting the Monarch face-to-face again. I hope I've made it clear how dangerous she is," Rose explained, "and I also hope you're aware this isn't your fight. I just want you to keep the room secure while I take her out. Something still doesn't feel right about all this. There were some familiar faces I don't recall seeing on the beach."

"You mean someone else could come along while you're fighting?"

"Just keep an eye out and your guard up, okay? Penguin, Ross–"

Rose had considered a last word to her accomplices before entering the tower suite belonging to Daisy the Monarch, but now that she was only a dozen stairs from the top, she could see something shocking. The door to the Monarch's private chambers was wide open and books and papers were still scattered across the dark carpeting and gothic fixtures. Glass and debris lay on the floor from when Rose had broken the skylight and crashed through the roof during her last visit. It was as if no one had touched the place in days.

With a sinking feeling in her chest, Rose raced up the remaining stairs into Daisy's room and confirmed her suspicions.

"Rose! Isn't this d-dangerous?! Where are you going?"

"It's fine Ross. She's not here."

* * *

Though outside it was still a bright afternoon, in the shadows of the docking bay cavern where the Masked Maiden lurked, Daisy had lit oil lamps in her captain's quarters. She sat at her desk, mulling over Rose's notebook. _Where would we be if not for that wretched call to Sabaody?_ The Monarch thought, shaking her head.

Off-ship, at the entrance to the cavern, Relic paced, carrying his bo staff over one shoulder. He could not see his mistress and only knew her location from the light coming from the windows to the rear of the Masked Maiden. Every so often he would sigh and rub his own wrinkling temple with his free hand. But his duties were not forgotten – he was also diligently listening for any sign of an intruder's approach from above.

* * *

In the third floor library the search continued. Bepo had stashed a number of volumes into his oversized orange boiler suit. Law and Shachi had been passing their finds on to the navigator. Then Law made an abrupt decision:

"We're done here."

"Captain, are you sure?" Bepo asked. "I can carry more books than this."

"We could spend days going through all of this. Rose said the fourth floor has good material too. We don't have all day. We have to move on."

"Are you saying that because you think we've found enough information?" Asked Shachi, "or are you worried the others won't be able to handle this fight on their own?"

Law scoffed at his crewmate and made for the stairs without further comment.

* * *

"We're l-leaving already, Rose?"

"She's not up there Ross. And it's not a trap either… at least I don't think so. She's just hiding somewhere else in the castle…"

"Where else could she be?" Penguin asked.

The three of them were making their way down the eight stories from Daisy's room as fast as they could manage, but the stairs were steep and many, and the stone only covered with carpet along the center of the staircase. It was a long way to fall if someone slipped too.

"Think, Rose!" Rose began to coach herself. "She's not in the tower, she wasn't in the main hall. She could be in the library… but what if she's not? I haven't heard the sounds of any fighting in that direction yet."

Rose gasped.

"W-what is it?"

"I think she might've gone to my room? Let's check there next."

When the trio finally made it to the fourth floor and could take the stairs down to her room on the second floor, Rose slowed as they passed the library.

"Something wrong, Ro–"

But Rose put a finger to her lips to shush Penguin before he could say any more. She leaned against the library door and listened. Nothing. Then she made for the stairs downward once again.

Outside Rose's room on the second floor it only took a moment for all of them to recognize their mistake. The door to was open to clothes piled on the floor and a bed exactly as she'd left it.

"Damn it!" Rose said as she walked through, looking for any sign of the Monarch's presence. She sat down on her bed. Immediately, she stood up again and lifted the mattress to run her hand underneath.

"What's the matter now?"

"My notebook – the one I kept a record of meeting Ross in – it's gone. I remembered storing it here under my mattress. I'm sure of it."

"W-what does th-that mean for us?"

"It means she's probably taken it, so she knows why I'm rebelling," Rose said with a frown.

"Regardless, she's not here either. I know one other place she might be, and I hope I wasn't wrong to pass by the library."

* * *

Law knew they weren't alone in the fourth floor library the minute he set foot inside.

"Room," he murmured, spreading an invisible sphere across the floor.

"Fear not, guests," came a cold, monotonous voice. "I am unarmed."

"Who's there?" Law called out. Shachi and Bepo stayed close to his side, poised in martial arts stances.

"I am called Begonia," the servant replied, her eyes not moving from her view out the window toward the sea.

"You can't fool us, Begonia. We know all of the Order members are trained in martial arts. You don't need a weapon to be a nuisance to us," said Law with a morbid grin.

Then he moved, smoothly exchanging his, Bepo and Shachi's places with that of a bookshelf behind Begonia. The servant whipped around and… disappeared.

"Right now," Begonia's disembodied voice continued, "I am moving so fast your eyes cannot see me. How will you fight me now, pirates?"

Shachi's lower lip trembled. Bepo's paws shook for a moment, but he steadied them when he saw that his captain's expression had not changed a bit.

"Scan," Law said, and he stretched out an arm, making a grabbing motion. Suddenly, Begonia was before the pirates again, caught in Law's grip.

"What should I do to you, Miss Begonia?" He said, smiling an awful smile. Begonia's face remained blank.

"She must be a high-ranking order member to be trusted to stay in the house," noted Shachi.

"That's just what I was thinking," said Law. "Maybe we should torture her a little. She might have useful intelligence on the Monarch's weaknesses…"

Law waited for Begonia's expression to change, but her body did not betray her one bit. Her eyes were void of emotion, her thin lips pursed in an unreadable form. She did not even break a sweat.

"Counter shock," Law said calmly. The room lit up briefly as he pulsed electricity through his arm into Begonia's slim body. Her back arched and her limbs flinched, but once the shock was over, she remained as stone-faced as before.

"She's one tough customer," Bepo commented.

"Do as you like," Begonia said, her monotone only cracking slightly from the aftermath of the electricity flowing through her body. "There is nothing I can tell you. Not because I won't, but I cannot. Her powers assure I know nothing but my job. I am a servant of Order Lepidoptera. I am not privy to any special information or privileges from the Monarch. I do as I am bid, nothing more. I have a name, but I am nobody important."

"Why does it sound like she's reciting a script?" Law muttered.

Just then, the door to the fourth floor library burst open and Rose, Ross, and Penguin rushed through.

"She… is…," Rose panted. "She is reciting a script. It's what's been taught to her by the Monarch. Begonia is the most mind-wiped member of the order. We'll never learn anything from her."

"Agent Swallowtail," Begonia noted. "The Monarch is looking for you. She is waiting in the docking bay, in the captain's quarters aboard the Masked Maiden."

"So much for her not telling us anything," Law smirked.

"Shut up! Begonia, did she tell you to tell us that?"

"I was not told not to tell you that."

"We probably wouldn't have had to fight her if you'd been here in the first place," Bepo said to Rose.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell us, Begonia?" Rose asked with sincere pleading in her voice.

"I know only two things about Daisy the Monarch," said Begonia, "she believes without a doubt that she will beat you if you fight her," the servant paused to cough, "and she hates… when I call her mother." Following this comment, Begonia promptly passed out. Law laid the servant unceremoniously on the library floor and looked to his five crewmates.

"Well, that seems to have gone spectacularly according to plan," he looked directly at Rose. "Now what?"

* * *

"I swear," Rose said as she led the rest of the pirates (with Bepo now also carrying Begonia) to the back entrance of the manor and the carved stone staircase that lead to the docking bay, "I had no idea about any of this. I thought the Monarch would be waiting for me, but in the tower, not the Order's ship. And I definitely don't know anything about why Begonia would call Daisy mother. None of the rest of us… oh."

"R-rose, she's–"

"No, I got it Ross, Daisy's her mother, right? Damn my empty head. Maybe I knew that before and I just forgot. Now that I think about it, they look a lot alike."

"They do?" Shachi and Penguin asked in unison.

Rose sighed. "I'd say you'll see," she said, stopping at the top of the staircase to the docking bay, "but I think this is the end of the line for some of you."

"What do you mean?" Law cut in. "That was no part of the agreement. We're all coming to help you fight her."

"Right, so you can get your memories wiped too? So you can get in the way? And are we just going to ignore the fact that we left crewmates behind on the beach?"

Law frowned. "Six people is a lot for this fight. And we've got a hostage. But I still can't let you go down there alone. If I do, there was no point in us coming with you to begin with."

"Captain, the books!" Bepo said. His arms were quite full between the volumes he had stuffed into his boiler suit and the agent whose helpless body he was holding.

"Hmm, yes, the information we've stolen needs safekeeping."

"And the girl!" Bepo exclaimed, panting.

"We do have a hostage…"

"A-and our ship," added Ross.

"That's perfect!" Law exclaimed. "Ross, take Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin back to the beach. Here's what you're going to do while Rose and I take care of the Monarch."

* * *

"I'm not a fan of what you're doing here," Rose said with a frown. "You ignored my decision to fight alone and implied that I'll need a getaway vehicle for some reason. Who exactly will we be running from if I defeat the Monarch?"

Law sighed. "Who knows what kind of dangerous tricks she'll pull inside this cramped cavern," the two of them were descending the stairs to the docking bay and Law gestured to the encroaching stone walls. "It's not that I think you're going to lose and run away, it's more like I'm concerned. Concerned that in her dying moments, Daisy might–"

"What, blow up the foundation of her house and destroy everything she's worked her whole life to build? For some reason I don't think that's likely."

"So do you do everything on gut instinct, or…"

"I don't have memories to go off of," Rose scowled, "so what do you expect me to do?"

"Bicker, bicker, bicker," an unfamiliar voice cut off Rose and Law's conversation. "I hear someone's coming to fight our precious Monarch. I wasn't expecting you to bring a celebrity guest, Swallowtail."

"Relic!" Rose called to the man who was now blocking the bottom of the stairway with his bo staff. "I didn't come this far to be stopped by an old man like you, so step aside or–"

But Rose didn't have to make any further threats. Law had already spread his 'room' and with a twist of his fingers, he swapped himself for Relic, catching the servant by surprise. Rose took the opportunity to strike Relic in the chest with a strong chop, knocking the wind out of him and allowing her to also pass by.

Only mildly perturbed by Law's antics, Rose caught up to the captain and the two began to approach the only ship docked in the cavern. Suddenly, Law stopped moving. When Rose turned to find out why she found herself face-to-face with the end of a bo staff.

"If you think I'll be taken out so easily you are sorely mistaken, Swallowtail. Remember that with age comes experience!" Relic jabbed his staff toward Rose, causing her to lunge backward, narrowly avoiding being stabbed in the eye.

Law took the opportunity to grab hold of Relic's staff.

"Go ahead, Rose. It looks like you'll get your fight after all." He struggled a bit as Relic forced the staff downward to throw him off. "I'll catch up with you once I finish with this guy…"

Rose was already running toward the black ship floating ahead.

* * *

As Bepo, Shachi, Penguin and Ross made their way out of the House of the Monarch and down toward the beach, Bepo struggled. Between the books stuffed into his boiler suit and the weight of Begonia's body, the bear was panting heavily.

"Are you alright, buddy?" Shachi asked.

"Be… fine… once we're… back… to ship…" Bepo panted.

The scene on the beach was as dramatic as the bear's voice. Looking down from the cliffside, the heart pirates saw a handful of their crewmates were still on their feet and fighting against the agents of the Order. Strewn across the sand were a few unconscious bodies from both sides, though there were a few more in boiler suits than black uniforms.

Tears welled in Ross's eyes. "A-are they–"

"Probably not dead, Ross," Penguin replied. "I remember Rose saying something about how the Order are a neutral group. They probably aren't killers, especially since they came at us as unarmed martial artists."

"Penguin's right," added Shachi, "if they wanted to kill us the sand would be a lot bloodier than it is, don't you think?"

"Well actually… you can't… tell… from here… could have broken… their necks…"

"Thanks for the reassurance Bepo," Penguin rolled his eyes. "Look, everyone that's still standing down there looks pretty occupied. Let's make a run for it and hope we get to the submarine before they notice us!"

"Easy… for you… to say…" Bepo's tongue lolled out of his mouth.

"But first, we have to get back down this cliff."

Shachi looked down. It was a long way to go and only slim hand grips carved into the side could help them down the steep passage, or else…

Suddenly, Shachi felt a gentle push and before he knew it, he was rolling down the side of the cliff toward the beach.

"Aaahhh?!" He shouted. He was promptly joined by a chorus of screams.

"Tired… of waiting…" Bepo grinned as he watched Ross, Shachi and Penguin roll. Then he sat his big fluffy bottom down on the edge of the cliff and pushed off, sliding down to meet them.

* * *

Rose wasted no time climbing aboard the Masked Maiden. She didn't once look back to where Law and Relic were locked in combat. _He'll be fine,_ she thought. Relic should be nothing to a Supernova captain with a bounty over 100 million Beli. Rose approached the door to Daisy's cabin and gripped the detailed door handle tight. There was no going back once she entered.

Taking a deep breath, Rose pushed through into the ship's captain's quarters. She was greeted by the sight she expected – the aging Monarch, blue hair tightly curled as usual, dressed to the nines in a black costume that could have come straight from a burlesque show. Daisy smiled. Her eyes shone with expectation but she was calmly seated behind her desk before an open book.

"You know why I'm here," Rose said.

"Rose, darling. Be reasonable and have a little chat with me."

"I don't have time."

Rose brought her arm down on Daisy's desk with enough force to break the wooden furniture in two – if the blow had landed. However, Daisy caught Rose's chop with one hand.

"You will make time to talk, like a good girl," said the Monarch, her grip on Rose's arm tightening.

* * *

"I'll admit," Relic said as he tried to catch his breath, "I was not expecting the Surgeon of Death himself to put himself on the line for our little Swallowtail. What's going on between you two?"

Law tossed Relic's heart between his hands. "You're not in any position to be speaking to me like that," he said, giving Relic's heart a squeeze.

The older man clutched his chest and nearly dropped his bo staff. But he refused to give up, and swung the staff around toward Law, a move the pirate easily dodged.

"If you must know our relationship, Miss 'Swallowtail' is… my surgical assistant's twin sister. If I didn't help her I'd be down a very helpful crewmate. That's all. And that's it for you too."

Relic made one last charge as Law clutched his heart in both hands, pressed his thumbs against the beating box and whispered "counter shock."

* * *

Inside the captain's quarters aboard the Masked Maiden Rose and Daisy circled the room, stalking each other like wolves. The furniture had been tossed aside and even Rose's notebook lay forgotten on the floor.

"If you think you will talk me back into submission you're wrong, Daisy. This time I won't let you brainwash me back into the Order. I have something… someone to protect!"

"If you're talking about your brother, darling, you've forgotten him before and served me happily for years without him. There's no proof you can't do it again."

Rose broke away from circling the room and ran straight for Daisy. She leapt and kicked right at the Monarch's throat, but she was too slow, and the older woman dodged gracefully. Rose tucked her leg back just in time to avoid being grabbed again. She crossed the room to put as much distance between herself and Daisy as possible.

"You came back to fight me but you move like you're afraid of me!" Daisy laughed.

Rose gritted her teeth. The Monarch was right. This wasn't much of a fight.

"If you want a battle, I'll show you a battle," said Daisy. She picked up the pendant of her necklace and flipped it between her fingers, avoiding the sharp edge. Then all of a sudden, she disappeared.

Rose clutched her head. For some reason, this scenario was painfully familiar. There was no time to waste though. She had to keep moving or she was an easy target for Daisy. So Rose ran circles around the room, tossing chairs and pieces of the now broken desk in front of herself to block any surprise attacks. But Daisy didn't appear. Until…

There was a loud crack as the Monarch pulled her pendant out of the ceiling where she had been using it to suspend herself. She leapt down on top of Rose and brought the sharp end of the pendant down on Rose's temple. Rose managed to dodge the full blow by a hair – literally. A quarter of Rose's dark blue bangs fluttered away, revealing a deep cut on the side of her forehead.

Daisy swiped her pendant toward Rose's head again and Rose dodged the same way – habit – adding another, slimmer cut beside the first. Rose grabbed her forehead where the blood was running down and wiped it away from her eyes, then flicked her hand in Daisy's face, making the Monarch lean back and giving Rose just enough leverage to push her away.

"That pendant looks awfully familiar," Rose said, "especially now that I've seen it close up."

"It should," Daisy replied with a smile, "and I'd ask if my letter opener looked familiar too, but in all the fuss I seem to have misplaced it."

Rose didn't understand the joke.

Daisy continued, "You still have those scars on your palms, don't you darling? Wouldn't you like a reminder of where they came from?"

"No thank you."

"Well you see–"

"I said no thank you!"

"When I took you from that wretched island you were born on–"

"No! Thank you!" Rose shouted.

"You were so eager to leave as soon as you came aboard our ship, I just had to find a way to keep you here. And all I had on hand at the time was a blunt necklace and a blunt letter opener!"

Rose felt the room begin to spin.

"No!" She screamed, but the memories rushed back all at once.

The sound of the door slamming shut, trapping her in the captain's quarters with Daisy for the first time. The sound of her awkward South Blue accent mumbling apologies. The feeling of Daisy's long, sharp nails in her wrist as the Monarch picked her up and walked her to the door. The sight of the letter opener, golden, with an ivy-embellished handle and a tip blunt from over-use, as Daisy picked it off her desk. Then in one fell swoop, the searing pain that ran through her arm as the Monarch impaled her hand with the letter opener, pinning her to the door. The shiver that ran through her body as she realized the look in Daisy's eyes meant that wasn't the end of the pain. The feeling, slightly less painful due to the shock that already permeated Rose's small body, as Daisy twisted the pendant of her necklace through Rose's other hand. Finally, the terror at the sight of one hand, glowing blue, that reached out to touch her forehead and wipe her memory.

Rose stumbled across the cabin floor, caught between the present and past. It didn't help that she was woozy from her head injury. _Get it together, Rose!_ She thought. _The past is over, you're not pinned to the wall here yet! Pull yourself together and go after her!_

But it was too late for Rose to do anything. Daisy rushed forward and struck Rose in the chest with one hand, her talon-like nails digging into the flesh. She pulled at the fresh wound and Rose gasped.

Pushing with all her might, aided by her own slippery blood, Rose managed to free herself from Daisy's grip. Her chest was a wreck; Daisy had penetrated right across Rose's butterfly tattoo.

"You're not a member of the Order anymore, are you?" Daisy asked, a touch of sarcasm in her voice. "Therefore, you won't be needing that marking."

Blood was pouring out of the chest wound, worse than the scratches on Rose's head. The blood loss was getting to her and Rose knew that as soon as she passed out, Daisy would wipe her memories or worse. _I have to stop the bleeding somehow,_ she thought.

* * *

As Rose was struggling to manage her wounds, Law approached the captain's quarters on the Masked Maiden. There were no windows in to show him how the fight had progressed, and for all he knew, Rose was already dead. Or dying. Or worse – memory wiped. He didn't waste another second thinking about the possibilities. He opened the door just as another smash resounded on the ship.

Rose was standing in the middle of the cabin, holding a busted oil lamp in one hand. She was bleeding heavily from a hole in her chest, and her head was also covered in blood. Part of her hair was missing. On the far side of the room, the woman who must be the Monarch was holding up a bloody hand and smiling.

"Rose!" Law shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"I have to stop the bleeding!" Rose yelled back, and before Law could tell her not to, she poured the burning oil onto her chest wound.

* * *

Rose screamed. The pain was excruciating. She fell to her knees, then her instincts took over completely and she was rolling on the ground. The oil lamp she had used to cauterize her wounds lay discarded on the floor beside her. A small fire was beginning to spread where it fell.

"Room! Shambles!" Law said, switching Rose on the floor for a nearby piece of furniture. The fire on her chest had gone out, but Rose was now barely conscious. The Monarch realized what was about to happen and tried to move, but Law beat her to it. Using one hand to hold Rose up, he scrambled the furniture in the captain's quarters with the other. Some debris landed in the flames from the broken lamp, and the fire began to spread.

"No!" Daisy cried.

Law didn't wait for any further reaction. He grabbed Rose and carried her off the ship, leaving Daisy behind trying to beat out the growing flames.

* * *

"We're supposed to trust you to drive our sub through these narrow rocky bits after you nearly got us killed twice today?" Penguin asked.

Bepo, now feeling better after emptying his boiler suit of books and depositing Begonia on a spare gurney, was attempting to pilot the Heart Pirate's submarine into the Cocoon Island docking bay. He waved his crewmates away so he could focus.

"Just trust me! We all got off the beach in one piece!"

"Y-yeah," Ross admitted, "why d-didn't those agents chase us?"

"Who cares," Shachi cut in. "Maybe they recognized we were retreating for good and didn't mind! They are supposed to be–"

"A neutral party, we know," said Penguin. "Bepo on the other hand, pushed us over a cliff–"

"It was more like a big rocky hill. And everyone survived. Now would you let me pilot the ship in peace!"

With a sigh, Shachi, Penguin and Ross left the helm of the submarine and went to check on the rest of their crewmates, many of whom were needing medical attention after their scraps on the beach.

Ross passed Begonia's gurney and startled as a cold hand reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Please," Begonia mumbled.

"O-oh m-my god," Ross said, "you're awake already."

"Please… take me back to the castle. She needs me."

"She?"

"The… monarch… my mother. She can't run the order… without me."

Ross looked around. When he was certain no one was watching, he slowly nodded his head. Then he put one finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, turned away and went to help the others.

* * *

The submarine broke the surface just as Law and Rose disembarked from the Masked Maiden.

"Oh good," Rose mumbled. She promptly passed out.

"Oh good," complained Law, and he shifted her weight in his arms so he could support her lolling head. In the distance, he could hear his crew quarrelling over something he couldn't decipher from afar.

* * *

"You're just going to let her go?" the crew asked simultaneously.

"W-well," explained Ross, "the alternative is to m-make her a crew member. D-do you want to d-do that? We're l-leaving the island, after all."

The heart pirates looked at one another, then shook their heads in unison.

"Good. B-begonia, you're free to g-go, once we g-get the captain and Rose b-back."

Begonia said nothing. She stood next to the ladder where the captain would ascend to the deck and waited.

Spying the agent from below, Law understood immediately.

"Room, shambles!"

He switched Rose for Begonia and set Begonia down. While the heart pirates rushed to Rose's attention, Law turned to Begonia one last time.

"You really want to stay with that woman, even though she'll probably just wipe your mind again when she finds you?"

"I must stay," said Begonia.

"You don't have to do anything. It doesn't matter if she's your mother. You can choose who you call your real family."

"Then I choose her."

Law sighed. "Then I won't stop you."

He turned away from Begonia for the last time and began to climb the ladder up to the submarine's main deck. As soon as he was aboard, he looked over his crew.

"Everyone accounted for?"

"Yes, captain!"

"Then let's get out of here. I don't want any more to do with this creepy place."

"Captain," Ross called from Rose's side, "what happened to the Monarch?"

"She's busy putting out a fire right now, and I think that will keep her out of commission for a few weeks at least."

"So Rose lost…" Ross looked over his sister's injuries.

"She's going to need treatment right away, space-case. Let's get her down to the operating room and scrub up."

"Yes sir!"

"Well? What are you oafs waiting for? Every man but the navigator, get below deck! We're getting the hell out of here."


End file.
